Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hypes up Juan Soto after record-smashing $765 million deal with the Mets
Juan Soto inked a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract on Sunday night. It exceeds the total value of every other contract in the history of professional sports. It got the attention of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who took to Instagram to congratulate Soto.
The first baseman said (translated):
"Blessings, my brother. Well deserved."
They were rivals in the MLB of sorts, as the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees are two teams in the same division. Notably, Guerrero Jr. does not like the Bronx Bombers. However, they're both Dominican and have played together in the World Baseball Classic.
Soto spurned the Yankees for the crosstown New York Mets. The Yankees reportedly topped out at a 16-year, $760 million deal, but Soto and agent Scott Boras went for the higher AAV and cumulative value with the Mets.
In 2023, Shohei Ohtani signed the then-biggest contract in sports history for 10 years and $700 million. It remains the highest in AAV, but Soto has surpassed it by $65 million in total value.
It remains to be seen if anyone in a future class will break Soto's record, though it seems unlikely given all the circumstances. Guerrero Jr. himself hits free agency after the 2025 season.
Juan Soto bet on himself and earned $325 million more
Juan Soto now plays for the team that went to the NLCS last season and lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are in better shape right now than the Washington Nationals, his former team.
The Nationals tried to extend Soto to the tune of $440 million but he turned it down, betting on himself to get a better deal. After two trades, he got a much better deal. Soto, fresh on the back of an MVP finalist season and World Series berth, signed for $765 million.
The difference in those two deals is the same as the entire contracts for Giancarlo Stanton, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Corey Seager. He bet on himself and it paid off handsomely, and he's set up to dominate in the Nationals division for the next decade and a half to further rub salt in the wound.