Is Juan Soto a bigger superstar than Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani after record-setting $765 million deal?
Juan Soto now stands alone at the top of the MLB's active contract leaderboard. His $765 million deal trumps that of even Shohei Ohtani and dwarfs virtually all other deals. It's the biggest deal in professional sports history.
The New York Mets inked him to 15 years with that total value, indicating that he's worth a lot of money. Now that he makes more money per year than Aaron Judge and more overall than Shohei Ohtani, is he a bigger star?
Has Juan Soto passed Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge?
Not exactly. Contracts are not always about value for players and it's often not a one-to-one comparison. Aaron Judge, for example, was worth 3.3 fWAR more than Soto in 2024.
Shohei Ohtani was worth one win more despite not playing defense whatsoever. Both players were significantly better than Soto in 2024. They also have the star power that he doesn't right now.
Ohtani ranked first in jersey sales, proving himself to be the biggest star in the sport. Judge was the third-highest player, also above Soto, who was seventh. Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, and Ronald Acuna Jr. beat out Soto as well.
Then why did Soto earn more money than those players did in free agency? That question particularly applies to Ohtani, who was paid $700 million because he can pitch and hit. Ultimately, age is the biggest factor.
Soto hit free agency at 26, which is far younger than most players. He has a lot more good years ahead of him than most free agents. Ohtani, for example, was 29 when he signed a 10-year deal.
Judge's nine-year deal was signed when 30. Neither of those players has as many years left as Soto does in all likelihood. Plus, Soto's best ability is his eye and plate discipline. Those don't require athleticism, so even an aging and less athletic Soto will have value that others don't.
Soto's skills could allow him to be better in his latter seasons than most players would be. The market also dictated Soto's deal. If he had signed before Ohtani, there's no telling what the number might have been.
There was also a bidding war for Soto, with the Yankees and Mets going higher and higher until the Yankees had to pull out of the negotiations. That pushed the price up, which helped him land a bigger contract than Ohtani or Judge by most metrics.