Juan Soto completes record 765million dollar move to New York Mets

Juan Soto has completed his record-breaking 765million US dollar (£599.2million) move to the New York Mets.

The Mets confirmed the 15-year-deal with a post on X which simply read: “Juan Soto is a Met.”

The 26-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, who joins as a free agent from the New York Yankees, will be unveiled in a press conference at Citi Field on Thursday.

Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said: “This is a seminal moment in franchise history.

“Juan Soto is a generational talent. He is not only bringing staggering historical statistics with him but also a championship pedigree.”

Soto’s contract is the biggest in sporting history, exceeding the decade-long terms signed by Shohei Ohtani with Los Angeles Dodgers last December, which was said to be worth 700m US dollars (£558m).

Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers saw him named the National League MVP and win the World Series, beating the Yankees and Soto.

Soto moves across New York having turned down a new deal with the Yankees after hitting a career-high 41 home runs during his only season with the club.

The four-time All Star made his major league debut as a 19-year-old with the Washington Nationals in 2018 and won the National League battling crown in 2020, spending a year with the San Diego Padres before joining the Yankees.

He is set to receive a 75m US dollar (£58.7m) signing-on fee and the right to opt out of the contract after the 2029 season.

The Mets will have the option to void the opt-out clause if they boost the average annual value of the final 10 years of this contract from 51m US dollars (£39.9m) to 55m US dollars (£43.1m), which would make it an 805m US dollar (£630m) package overall.

The deal is reported to include other performance-related bonuses, plus the use of a luxury suite for Mets home games and security for Soto and his family at matches.

Before Ohtani’s trade to the Dodgers in 2024, the previous record contract in the MLB was the 426.5m US dollars (£340m) the Los Angeles Angels paid to Mike Trout as part of a 12-year deal in 2019.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 10-year 450m US dollar (£359m) extension, agreed in 2023, was the previous highest in the world.