Baseball star jumps ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrick Mahomes in sport’s top earners after £600m deal
Baseball star Juan Soto has agreed to a record-breaking £600m deal with the New York Mets, marking the largest contract in sports history.
The 26-year-old Dominican outfielder’s 15-year agreement surpasses Shohei Ohtani’s £548m contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed just last December.
Soto will join the Mets after spending one season with cross-town rivals the New York Yankees, where he achieved a career-high 41 home runs.
The deal, first reported by ESPN, represents a significant coup for the Mets, who outbid the Yankees’ offer of £595m over 16 years.
Despite his young age, Soto has already established himself as one of baseball’s elite hitters, having won the World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019.
The landmark deal includes a £58.7m signing bonus with no deferred payments, unlike Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers.
The agreement offers Soto an opt-out option after five years, with the total value potentially reaching £630m if he continues beyond that period.
During his first five years, Soto will earn £40m annually, increasing to £43m per year for the remaining decade if he stays with the club.
The absence of deferred money makes this contract particularly notable, as it contrasts with Ohtani’s arrangement where £53m of his £55m annual salary is deferred, with Los Angeles paying him through to 2043.
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The deal remains subject to Soto passing routine medical tests, as reported by MLB.com.
Based on Major League Baseball’s 162-game regular season, Soto’s £630m earnings over the full 15-year period would amount to £259,000 per game.
With baseball games averaging around 2 hours and 36 minutes in recent seasons, this equates to approximately £1,643 per minute of play.
These calculations underscore the unprecedented scale of Soto’s contract in professional sports.
The figures are based on the assumption that Soto completes the full 15-year term rather than exercising his opt-out clause after five years.
The per-game earnings reflect only regular season matches, not accounting for potential playoff appearances or pre-season games.
In the wider context of global sports contracts, Soto’s deal stands at the pinnacle of a prestigious list.
Lionel Messi’s final Barcelona contract (2017-2021) reached £527m, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s current Al-Nassr deal is worth £420m over three years.
Golf’s highest entry comes from Jon Rahm’s £411.1m LIV contract, running until 2029.
NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes features with a £393.9m decade-long agreement with the Kansas Chiefs.
Baseball dominates the top earnings, with Mike Trout’s £334m Angels contract and Mookie Betts’ £285.8m Dodgers deal among the most lucrative.
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The only boxer in the top tier is Canelo Alvarez, whose five-year DAZN contract was worth £281.9m.
These figures highlight baseball’s financial dominance in global sports, with Soto and Ohtani’s contracts setting unprecedented benchmarks.