Why Juan Soto's agent Scott Boras asked for opt-out after 2029? Mets star could potentially raise AAV to $55,000,000
Juan Soto's record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets, reported on Sunday, is the work of a genius. But that was expected, as Soto was represented by one of the most admired sports agents, Scott Boras.
There are many facets to Soto's contract. First, compared to Shohei Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million with the LA Dodgers in 2023, the outfielder's contract has no deferred money in place.
Moreover, the Mets have also included an opt-out clause after the 2029 season, which means if Soto wants to part ways with the franchise or test the free-agent market again to force the Mets to upgrade their offer, he could do so after his fifth year on the deal.
Boras asked for the opt-out to make sure that Soto reaps the benefits of the next Collective Bargaining Agreement deal between the MLB and the MLB Players Association.
The current CBA deal runs till the 2026 season, after which there will be changes in minimum salaries, pre-arbitration bonus pool and competitive balance tax thresholds. That would change the landscape of the MLB entirely, as the CBT is expected to increase in the coming years.
The aforementioned clause will allow Juan Soto to either sign a new deal with a different franchise that could offer him a better deal under the new CBA conditions or ask the Mets to potentially upgrade his current AAV of $51 million to $55 million after the 2029 season.
Juan Soto's agent Scott Boras hitting home runs of his own this offseason
While Scott Boras didn't have his way in the 2023 offseason, he has struck two great deals already. His client Blake Snell signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers a couple of weeks ago, and now Juan Soto has agreed a 15-year, $765 million blockbuster contract.
Boras' work is far from over, though. He still has other high-profile clients, like former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, former home run derby champion Pete Alonso and two-time World Series champion Alex Bregman.
All of these are big names are likely to attract multi-year offers from a multitude of teams.