MLB free agent Juan Soto’s contract figure ‘might exceed’ previous record set by Shohei Ohtani

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Morning Sports Update

The Red Sox could still sign Soto, but it won’t be cheap.

The latest reports on the bidding for Juan Soto suggest his free agent contract could come close to an MLB record. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The latest on Juan Soto: The bidding for superstar outfielder Juan Soto in MLB free agency appears to be reaching a fever pitch.

The Red Sox are reportedly “still in” on attempting to sign the 26-year-old slugger, and appear to be fully committed to trying to bring him to Boston.

Still, the price tag could rise to levels previously unseen in baseball. Following the seemingly unreachable $700 million figure that Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers a year ago, Soto’s total deal may actually exceed it.

“It’s a perfect storm of bidding, and through the use of deferrals, it does not seem out of the realm of possibility that the broad strokes of his deal could be something in the range of $750 million over 15 years,” noted ESPN baseball reporter Buster Olney in a recent writeup alongside fellow MLB insider Jeff Passan.

“It’s an enormous number,” Passan added. “It could include deferred money, but less than a year after Shohei Ohtani signed a $700 million contract that shattered the previous record by nearly $275 million, Soto might exceed it.”

If Soto ends up with the Red Sox for anything close to the numbers suggested by Olney and Passan, it would represent a new team record, which was set in 2023 by Rafael Devers, who signed a contract extension worth more than $300 million.

The timeline of his decision isn’t fully known (given that it moves at whatever pace Soto chooses). Passan postulated that Soto could make his choice as early as this weekend.

Trivia: Only two players had a higher slugging percentage than Juan Soto in the American League in 2024. Can you name them?

(Answer at the bottom.)

Hint: Yankees and Royals.

Scores and schedules:

The Celtics defeated the Pistons 130-120 on Wednesday night. Boston will be back in action on Friday night at TD Garden against the Bucks at 7:30 p.m.

The Bruins also won on Wednesday, defeating the Blackhawks 4-2.

And the Boston Fleet dropped the 2024-25 home opener 2-1 against the Minnesota Frost.

More from Boston.com:

How NFL players spend the holidays: Former Patriots Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski reflected on their relationship with football and Thanksgiving.

On this day: In 1990, the Celtics defeated the Nuggets in a high-scoring thriller, 148-140. Larry Bird turned back the clock, totaling 43 points with eight rebounds and 13 assists, while Robert Parish contributed 25 points with 14 rebounds.

Larry Bird Celtics 1990 Boston Globe
– Globe Archives

Daily highlight: Here’s an impressive sequence from the NBA G-League, with James Bouknight creatively finding the layup after a between-the-legs pass from teammate Isaac Nogues.

Trivia answer: Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr.

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.

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