UPDATE: Soto passed his physical on Wednesday and is now officially a New York Met.
The Juan Soto saga is complete. The superstar outfielder signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. It’s the largest deal ever in professional sports history.
Soto, 26, was a highly-anticipated free agent following his one-year stint with the New York Yankees. Steve Cohen, Mets’ owner and formerly of hedge fund SAC Capital, outbid the Yankees for the future Hall of Fame talent.
Soto will likely slide into the second slot in the batting order, right behind NL MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor. His signing, though, probably means that Pete Alonso will be finding a new home.
The Mets finished 89-73 last season, tied for second in the NL East. They made it to the NLCS, losing to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
Prior to the Soto signing, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Mets’ World Series odds at +1400. That number is now +800. To win the National League, the odds went from +700 to +400.
Before becoming the highest-paid player in sports history, Soto signed with the Washington Nationals as an international free agent in 2015. Hemade his MLB debut in 2018 and was an instant success, slashing .292/.406/.517 with 22 home runs and five stolen bases in 494 plate appearances. His walk rate was 16 percent, his strikeout rate was 20 percent and his ISO was .225. He was 19 years old.
Soto spent four more seasons in the nation’s capital, then one and a half with San Diego before playing this past season with the New York Yankees. At the ripe age of 25 years, Soto had established himself as one of the preeminent batters in all of MLB. Soto hit 41 home runs in 713 plate appearances last season while slashing .288/.419/.569 with an 18.1 percent walk rate, 16.7 percent strikeout rate and .281 ISO.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
