bingewatches

The best hitter in baseball is staying in New York, but he’ll ply his trade elsewhere in the Big Apple. Juan Soto, the superstar 26-year-old outfielder who was a crucial part of the New York Yankees‘ charge to the AL Pennant this past season, made his highly-anticipated free agent decision on Sunday night, with reports from Jeff Passan of ESPN and Jon Heyman of the New York Post indicating that Soto will join the Mets on a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal.

Passan noted that Soto’s deal could, potentially, be worth more, as there are ways for it to be worth as much as $800 million. Additionally, unlike the high-profile contract that Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason, Soto’s deal won’t include any deferred money.

Soto joined the Yankees via a trade last offseason after spending a year and a half with the San Diego Padres. Before that, he came up through the Washington Nationals system and broke through as a 19-year-old in 2018 before becoming a crucial piece in their lineup as they won the only World Series in franchise history one year later.

Last season, Soto finished third place in American League MVP voting and earned both an All-Star nod and a Silver Slugger award. He batted .288 with a .909 OPS with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs with an AL-leading 128 runs scored. According to Heyman, the Yankees’ effort to keep Soto was a $760 million deal over 16 years, meaning they offered less money and a lower AAV.