"Shohei Ohtani was more interested in geography" - MLB insider claims Juan Soto could break Dodgers superstar's record with a $750,000,000 deal
The hottest topic in MLB is whether Juan Soto will surpass Shohei Ohtani's record for the largest contract in sports history. Ohtani's $700,000,000 contract seemed unsurmountable, but recent reports suggest the Dominican could create history.
After ESPN insider Buster Olney and New York Post insider Jeff Passan reported Soto's projected contract to be around $750,000,000, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman provided his take on the matter on yesterday's episode of "The Michael Kay Show."
"I think that's a possibility. Certainly, if you've got five over $600[million] already, right? And I do think there are teams that are going to be willing to go over $700 [million]. Will he go with those teams? I'm not going to guarantee that he's going to get over $700[million], but I think at this point, there is a good chance that he will be over $700[million]," said Heyman [6:56].
The insider said he wouldn't rule out $750,000,000 for Juan Soto, particularly since the deal for 15 years makes logical sense. He also provided other factors helping the Dominican break the Japanese superstar's record:
"I do think the agent [Scott Boras] probably makes somewhat of a difference. But, I mean, I think basically the players, you know, Ohtani was a guy who was more interested in geography, whereas Soto is the more typical free agent, looking at the deal and also looking at which teams win," said Heyman [8:13]
As such, the insider stated the Yankees and Dodgers have an edge over the Red Sox, Mets, and Blue Jays as they provide a bigger chance of winning than the others.
Heyman predicts when Juan Soto will sign a new deal
The veteran insider believes the Dominican free agent is now deliberating the pros and cons of all teams interested in signing him. He thinks the 2019 World Series champion will sign a new contract that aligns with when Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani ended their respective free agencies.
"I get that people are saying, "Oh, it's taking long enough," and all that. Well, you know what? I mean [Aaron] Judge and [Shohei] Ohtani were two all-time greats who signed, and Judge took until the middle of the winter meetings, and Ohtani took until, I think, a day or two after the winter meetings. I think this is fairly typical, and I think it [Juan Soto's decision] will get done in the next few days," said Heyman [4:55]
Currently, DraftKings Sportsbook has Yankees and Mets tied as the favorites to acquire Juan Soto's services. Both are -120 favorites, while Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Dodgers are +250, +700, +1200 underdogs respectively.