How Does Juan Soto's Record-Breaking 15-Year, $765M Contract Compare To Other Large Deals in American Sports

SEATTLE - For almost one year, Shohei Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers held the privilege of being the largest deal agreed in American sports. But after a sensational season with the New York Yankees, Dominican outfielder Juan Soto made history on Dec. 8 by signing an even larger contract with the New York Mets, who secured his services with a 15-year, $765 million contract.

Sources close to ESPN's Jeff Passan indicated that Soto's new contract with the Mets —contrary to Ohtani's deal— has no deferrals and includes escalators that can make the deal reach the $800 million threshold thanks to a $75 million signing bonus and the possibility of a salary increase to $55 million over the final 10 years of the contract.

Public consensus shows the 25-year-old outfielder now possesses the largest deal ever in MLB, but how does it compare to previous record-breaking deals in baseball and across all major American sports?

Soto's deal dwarfs Mike Trout's 2019 record-breaking deal by nearly $340 million

Before Ohtani and Soto set a new standard for superstar contracts, Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout was the best paid player in MLB history.

In 2019, the Angels signed Trout to a 12-year, $426.5 million deal that made the 2019 MVP the best paid player in the league. But compared to Soto's record-breaking agreement with the Mets, the Dominican is expected to make at least $338.5 million more than Trout.

Nine out of top 20 contracts in MLB belong to Latinos

In a league dominated by international stars, Latinos have been able to make their way to the top of the highest earners list. Out of the top 20 contracts in MLB, nine of them belong to players who are either Latinos or of Latino descent.

Before Soto agreed to a deal with the Mets, the best-paid Latino in MLB was Manny Machado, who signed an 11-year, $350 million contract with the San Diego Padres in February of 2023.

Currently, five Latinos in MLB rosters have contracts worth more than $300 million and two of them are now employed by the Mets.

Top active contracts in MLB - Latino players

How does Soto's contract fare across other major sports in the U.S.?

Although Soto's total package agreed with the Mets surpasses that of any sports contract across the United States' five professional leagues (NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, MLS), there are other players that make more money per year than the Dominican.

Lionel Messi

Similar to Soto, Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi is among the top earners in all American sports.

Messi's two-and-a-half year contract with Major League Soccer side Inter Miami sees the Argentine make $12 million in base salary. Despite the relatively low figure, special clauses within his contract suggest the 2022 World Cup winner could earn up to $150 million with the Herons before adding any other compensations from endorsement deals with Adidas and Apple.

When he joined MLS, the Argentine agreed to a contract that included a team equity component that could see him exercise his ownership stake in the franchise after he is done playing for Inter Miami (valued at $1.03 billion by Forbes in 2023).

Soto's contract almost on par with NBA deals

In the basketball world, Jayson Tatum is the top earner in the NBA thanks to a 5-year, $314 million deal with the Boston Celtics signed shortly after winning his first NBA championship.

In July, Tatum became the first player to earn $70 million in a single season, with a base salary of $62.8 million plus bonuses.

Soto making more money than star QB's in the NFL

In 2020, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed the largest total value contract in the history of the National Football League when he agreed to a 10-year, $450 million deal.

However, despite being a multi-Super Bowl champion, Mahomes' average annual value does not even crack the top 10 compared to other QB's in the league (only $141.5 million was guaranteed).

The privilege of being the league's top earner belongs to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Earlier this year, Prescott signed the biggest contract in NFL history when he and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones agreed to a four-year, $240 million deal, with $231 million being guaranteed.

Prescott's average annual value of $60 million per year surpassed three other deals signed by quarterbacks in recent months, while he also broke Deshawn Watson's $230 million fully guaranteed record with the Cleveland Browns.