New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto smacked his first home run in a Mets uniform in Friday's 3-1 win over the Astros. It was a solo shot and his only hit of the day, going 1-for-3 with a walk in the contest. That makes him 2-for-6 with three walks (.556 OBP) after the team's first two regular season games. The 26-year-old signed a massive 15-year, $765 million contract with New York in the offseason, bringing his career .285/.421/.533 slash line along with him. The left-handed slugger seems to be fitting in just fine so far, and will face Astros' RHP Spencer Arrighetti on Saturday night. Soto is 2-for-3 with a home run off Houston's starter, so be on the lookout for some fireworks again.
Juan Soto To Make Grapefruit League Debut On Saturday
New York Mets superstar outfielder Juan Soto will be in the lineup for the team's Grapefruit League opener on Saturday against a Houston Astros split-squad team, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. In addition to Soto, shortstop Francisco Lindor and first baseman Pete Alonso are expected to play. The 26-year-old Soto signed with the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million deal in free agency after helping lead the New York Yankees to the World Series last fall. He hit .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs in 157 games for the Yankees last year and will come off the board in the first round of most fantasy drafts this spring. In addition to his 41 home runs in 2024, the four-time All-Star led the league in runs (128) and drove in 109 runs and stole seven bases. Soto is still only 26 years old and is easily one of the best all-around hitters in the game.
Francisco Lindor To Hit Leadoff, Juan Soto To Hit Second
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is leaning towards putting shortstop Francisco Lindor at the top of the batting order and recently acquired outfielder Juan Soto in the two-hole. Lindor spent most of the 2025 campaign batting in the top spot and performed very well. When batting first, Lindor posted a stellar .303/.374/.552 line with 26 home runs and 31 doubles. He held a 42:97 BB:K ratio. He generated a .379 xwOBA, placing him in the 95th percentile among qualified hitters. Juan Soto spent his entire 2024 season batting in the two-hole with the Yankees. He posted a .288/.419/.569 line with a career-best 41 home runs. He showed an elite eye at the plate with an 18.1 percent walk rate. As a result, fantasy managers should expect Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, and Brandon Nimmo to bat behind them, providing them with elite RBI opportunities.
Juan Soto Signs $765 Million Contract With The Mets
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the New York Mets have signed free-agent outfielder Juan Soto to a massive 15-year contract worth $765 million. This is the largest deal in professional sports history and will likely keep Soto as a New York Met for the remainder of his professional career. Last season with the New York Yankees, Soto posted a stellar .285/.419/.569 slash line with 41 home runs. He boasted a .462 xwOBA, 19.7% barrel rate, and .646 xSLG, which were among the highest marks in the sport. Throughout his seven-year MLB career, Soto carries a .285/.421/.532 line. Given his incredible hitting skills, he should be viewed as a consensus first-round selection next season and a top pick in points leagues given his incredible eye at the plate.
Juan Soto Has Offers From Four Clubs Nearing $700 Million
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays have made an offer "in the ballpark" of $700 million and nearing 15-plus years to free-agent outfielder Juan Soto. Heyman also noted that the Los Angeles Dodgers have submitted an offer of around "$600 million." The race to sign the 26-year-old superstar continues to heat up as several owners are willing to open their pockets to put themselves as the highest bidder. Last summer in his debut campaign in the Bronx, Soto posted an excellent .288/.419/.569 slash line with 41 long balls. Under the hood, he boasted a .462 xwOBA and .316 xBA, which placed him in the top 100th percentile among qualified hitters. No matter where he calls home in 2025, Soto will be a consensus first-round selection in all fantasy formats this spring.
The bidding for free-agent superstar outfielder Juan Soto has reached $600 million, according to two people briefed on the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly. Soto's agent, Scott Boras, said on Tuesday that his client has also started the process of eliminating potential teams. The Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers are reportedly the most serious about Soto, and all the remaining contenders have made offers above $600 million. The MLB winter meetings begin on Sunday in Dallas, and the expectation is that Soto will make his decision by the end of the meetings. The 26-year-old generational talent is expected to sign for at least 12 years, with the present-day value of his new contract almost certainly beating the record Shohei Ohtani set last offseason with a deferred 10-year, $700 million contract. Wherever Soto is playing, he should continue to be an offensive beast.
SNY's Andy Martino writes that there is a widespread belief among bidders that the Toronto Blue Jays will come in with the highest offer to free-agent superstar outfielder Juan Soto. However, it's no secret that the New York Yankees and New York Mets are "all in" on Soto, according to a league source. There is also widespread skepticism that Soto would choose the Blue Jays, but a source says that if a team is involved in the final bidding, Soto will be willing to play there. In addition to the Blue Jays, Yankees and Mets, the Boston Red Sox have been heavily involved with the generational talent. The expectation is that Soto's market will begin to pick up now that Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror, and the widespread belief is that he'll choose his next team before the end of the upcoming winter meetings in Texas. Wherever Soto is playing in 2025 and beyond, he'll be a high-end fantasy asset.
The New York Yankees have raised their offer to try and re-sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto in the last couple of days, according to people familiar with the situation. The news could come as a response to a report on Tuesday that said the division-rival Boston Red Sox are making an early push to try and pry Soto away from the Bronx. In addition to the Yankees and Red Sox, the Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays are in on the Soto sweepstakes. New York has also reached out to free-agent pitchers Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, but they remain solely focused on trying to bring Soto back after he hit a career-high 41 home runs in 2024 and led the team to a World Series appearance. The 26-year-old generational talent is expected to set an MLB record for contract value, with word coming that teams are willing to go beyond $600 million to land him. Soto is believed to be interested in a 15-year deal.
According to sources, the Boston Red Sox are stepping up their efforts to land free-agent superstar outfielder Juan Soto and are trying to sell him on his fit in Beantown. Boston's best hitters in franchise history have mostly been left-handers, and Soto is coming off his best full season in his first year with the division-rival New York Yankees. However, his road OPS was 57 points higher than in the Bronx. Defensively, if Boston were to pry him away from their bitter rivals, Soto would likely shift from right field to left field at Fenway Park. The 26-year-old Dominican is expected to sign a deal worth more than 10 years and possibly more than $600 million. Spending that kind of money would be a major shift from the Red Sox's strategy in recent seasons, but perhaps they're fed up with just one playoff appearance in the last six seasons, including three last-place finishes in the AL East.
MLB executives believe that the New York Mets are the clear-cut favorites to sign free-agent outfielder Juan Soto, simply because nobody thinks anyone will outbid owner Steve Cohen, possibly before the winter meetings end in early December. The Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox are the only serious suitors for Soto. The Phillies haven't had a single conversation with agent Scott Boras to date. ESPN's Buster Olney reports that teams involved with Soto will start forwarding him offers this week, according to sources. The 26-year-old generational talent is expected to sign a deal for 10-plus years and potentially over $600 million after posting a career-high 41 home runs and a league-leading 128 runs scored in his first year with the Yankees in 2024 while helping them advance to the World Series. It's believed that Soto would prefer to stay on the East coast as well.
