Remember when Shohei Ohtani announced that huge $700 million deal? The world was shook that day. Everyone felt that this record was here to stay for a long time. Why wouldn’t they? He blew Mike Trout’s $426.5 Million deal out of the water. Who would even compete with such an anomaly? Well now, New York Yankees’ Juan Soto might not only touch it but even surpass that number. Shocking can’t even describe the feeling one gets after that statement.

But it might be true. The Yankees are now in the ALCS and with each passing game, Juan Soto’s value keeps rising. With a .286 average and .746 OPS, Soto has managed to maintain at least some of his regular season momentum. That has always been a big selling point for Soto – the star almost always comes through during the postseason. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why Baseball America’s analysts predict a big deal for Juan Soto.

Baseball America’s Eli Ben-Porat recently predicted that Soto will sign with the New York Yankees for a ridiculously high 15-year, $701 million deal. That might be just one million more than Ohtani but more than that it sets a huge precedent. Imagine if a deal as big as Ohtani’s gets broken in just one year, and how high might other contracts go? That’s one of the reasons why this prediction seems so shocking. It took 6 years for Trout’s record to break but Ohtani’s might break in a year.

So why did Eli Ben-Porat make such a prediction? Simply put, Juan Soto is sort of a unicorn too. Since his debut in 2018, Soto has had 5 years with WAR above 5. Only in his rookie year and the shortened 2020 did the Dominican finish below 5. On top of that, he’s just 25 and had his best season in 2024. Imagine just how high Soto can go and that’s what’s his main selling point – potential. So is potential enough to warrant a record-breaking deal? Perhaps it is. But it doesn’t mean things will be simple for the Yankees.

Mets and Giants’ newfound vigor to attract Juan Soto?

Despite professing his love for the Yankees countless times, Juan Soto has maintained a strategic silence over his future. Call it a smart business move or just his sheer focus on playoffs but it is hard to know what is inside Soto’s mind. As a result, even the most ardent of Yankees supporters have some doubts regarding Soto’s future with the team. Add to that the names of multiple teams that have come up as a potential destination for the Dominican superstar. The biggest one is the New York Mets – who are just as rich and also in the NLCS – so now are successful too.

Then comes the San Francisco Giants. Though the Bay Bombers aren’t in the best of positions on-field; off-field, they’re working with a renewed passion since Buster Posey’s arrival. And what’s a better way to announce your arrival than to do it by signing the biggest free agent in baseball? After all, Posey has noted that they’re in the business of making memories, and signing Soto could give the Giants a decade-long chance at happy memories. So with added motivation, the Bay Bombers too are turning into a force to reckon with regarding Soto’s free agency.

But whatever the case, at the end of the day, Soto and Scott Boras are in a great position. The star has over-performed in his walk year and the teams are just as desperate as ever to sign him. This is an agent’s dream scenario and if we know anything about Boras – that $701 million number might just be something that’s in his head. So what do you think, can Soto break Shohei Ohtani’s record? Let us know in the comments.