After a season where he slashed .288/.419/.988 in addition to 41 home runs and 109 runners batted in for the New York Yankees, Juan Soto hit the free agent market for the second time in his career.

In his seven-year career, Soto has been a star, but his career has been very mercenary-like. In a league where a lot of top stars tend to stay where they get their breakout opportunity, Soto has moved around a lot. Starting his career as a Washington National, Soto was traded to the San Diego Padres mid-way through the 2022 Major League Baseball season.

Then, one and a half years into his tenure as a Padres, Soto signed a one-year deal with the New York Yankees, and his play helped the Yankees get all the way to the MLB World Series. But, when Soto hit the market this offseason, people weren’t sure where he’d end up. Sources speculated the New York Yankees, the Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Boston Red Sox as potential options, but no clear favorite among the 30 MLB teams.

On Dec. 8, 2024, news dropped that Soto would be signing a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets, joining an already star-studded roster that includes Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo. While details about the contract are still coming out, if Soto ends up officially putting pen to paper with the Mets, he will help them possibly win their first World Series since 1986 in the 2025 season and beyond.

Information from Jeff Passan and MLB.com