Baseball superstar Juan Soto set to sign 15-year, $1.2 billion contract with New York Mets

Baseball superstar Juan Soto and the New York Mets have agreed to a 15-year contract worth an estimated $1.2 billion AUD.

The 26-year-old Puerto Rican has been involved in a major bidding war since becoming a free agent but has agreed to sign the biggest deal in professional sports history.

Soto helped lead the New York Yankees to the World Series earlier this year and despite a huge offer to remain at the franchise, has opted to join a rival team.

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According to reports from ESPN, the deal will include no deferred money and has escalators that can reach as high as $1.25 billion AUD.

The contract will surpass Shohei Ohtani's deal with the Dodgers that he signed at the start of last season, which was worth approximately $1.09 billion over 10 years.

It will also be the longest deal in MLB history, topping Fernando Tatis Jr's 14-year contract with San Diego that runs through 2034.

A four-time All-Star, Soto is the most accomplished free agent at his age since Alex Rodriguez agreed to a record 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers in 2000.

Soto was 19 when he made his major league debut with Washington in 2018 and helped the Nationals win the World Series the following year.

He turned down Washington's $440 million, 15-year offer in 2022 and was traded that August to San Diego. Following the death of Padres owner Peter Seidler, Soto was dealt to the Yankees in December 2023.

Soto has a .285 batting average with 201 home runs over seven seasons.

- with AP