MLB free agency is upon us, with the league’s winter meetings kicking things off in earnest on Monday in Dallas. The name on everyone’s lips is Juan Soto, but he’s not the only free agent who has a big decision to make this winter.
Here’s a quick look at where things stand so far this offseason:
Juan Soto agrees to record-shattering deal with Mets
It’s Juan Soto to the New York Mets via the richest known deal in the history of sports.
The New York Yankees slugger received the most anticipated payday of the offseason, agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets Sunday night, according to multiple reports.
Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million last season previously stood as the richest in sports history. But his record stood for only one year. And unlike Ohtani’s deal, Soto’s reportedly includes includes no deferred money and has escalators that can inflate the contract’s value to $800 million.
Soto joins a Mets team that rallied late in the season to make the postseason as a wild card and advanced to the NLCS against the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mets won a reported bidding war with the crosstown Yankees, who lose Soto’s services after a single season in the Bronx that ended with a trip to the World Series.
Who has signed so far?
Since the end of the World Series, the pitching market has been active, headlined by the Dodgers and Blake Snell agreeing to a five-year, $182 million deal. The Mets and Frankie Montas are also in agreement on a two-year, $34 million deal, while the A’s signed Luis Severino to a three-year, $67 million deal — the largest guaranteed contract in franchise history.
Waiting on Roki Sasaki
The Japanese phenom is expected to be part of next year’s international signing class, rather than signing during the current window that ends Dec. 15. Waiting until 2025 will carry significant financial benefits for both Sasaki and his current team, the Chiba Lotte Marines of NPB.
The international bonus pools reset when the new signing period starts in 2025, with every team having between $5 million and $8 million. Sasaki will get more money by waiting, and that matters to the Marines because the posting fee they receive will be 20% of his signing bonus.
Required reading:
Follow along with Yahoo Sports as we track all the rumors, signings and more during MLB free agency:
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Juan Soto joining Mets on $765M deal
It’s Juan Soto to the New York Mets via the richest known deal in the history of sports.
The New York Yankees slugger received the most anticipated payday of the offseason, agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets Sunday night, according to multiple reports.
For full details on the record-shattering contract, read here.
- Mon, December 9, 2024 at 9:21 AM GMT+5:30
Blake Treinen remains with Dodgers
With the dust not yet settled on the news of the Juan Soto contract, news broke that reliever Blake Treinen has agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 36-year-old right will return to Los Angeles for his fifth season with the franchise, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Right-handed reliever Blake Treinen and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a contract, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2024