Baseball: Juan Soto lands record 15-year, $1.3b deal with New York ...

Superstar baseball player Juan Soto has made history, reportedly agreeing to a 15-year, $1.3 billion contract - the largest deal ever in professional sports - with the New York Mets.

None of the money in the deal is deferred, and the contract could end up being worth over $1.36 billion, according to ESPN.

Soto, 26, joins the Mets after spending one season with the crosstown rival Yankees, who gave the outfielder a one-year, $37 million qualifying offer that was turned down back on 19 November.

The New York Post reported that the Yankees were willing to fork out $1.29 billion over 16 years to bring back Soto, but the Mets ended up outbidding them.

Soto helped the Yankees reach the World Series in 2024 after hitting .288 with a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBIs in 157 regular-season games. In the Fall Classic, Soto posted a .313 average and blasted a solo shot to account for his only RBI of the series, a five-game set that the Los Angeles Dodgers took 4-1.

The Dodgers made baseball's biggest splash last offseason, signing free agent Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $1.19 billion contract. Shortly after the signing, however, reports surfaced that Ohtani was deferring $115 million of the $119 million he is due each season, with Los Angeles paying the two-way star through 2043.

In 936 career games across seven major league seasons with the Washington Nationals (2018-22), San Diego Padres (2022-23) and Yankees (2024), Soto has clubbed 201 homers, racked up 592 RBIs and is a .285 hitter.

Despite being only 26, Soto has not only established himself as one of the best hitters in the league, but he has also placed his name next to some of the greatest players in baseball history early on in his career.

Last season, he surpassed Mickey Mantle for the most career walks before the age of 26 in at least 123 years. Among some of Soto's more noteworthy accomplishments:

Became the fourth player in big-league history to record 100 extra-base hits before his 21st birthday. One of just seven players with a 30-plus-home-run season before turning 21. Joined Ted Williams as the only players to lead the majors in on-base percentage multiple seasons ahead of their 23rd birthday.

Since finishing second in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, Soto has gone on to earn four All-Star selections and five Silver Slugger Awards. He was also a World Series champion with Washington in 2019.

The Mets came up just short of the World Series this year, falling to the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series in six games.

- Reuters