Here’s a quick look at where things stand so far this offseason:
Juan Soto agrees to record deal with Mets
It’s Juan Soto to the New York Mets via the richest contract known in sports history.
The former New York Yankees slugger received the most anticipated payday of the offseason on Sunday, agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, according to with several reports.
Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year contract last season was previously the richest in sports history. But his record only lasted a year. And contrary to Ohtani’s agreement, Soto would not understand any postponement of money and has indexations that can inflate the value of the contract to 800 million dollars.
Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki was posted Monday morning as the league’s winter meetings began, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Sasaki’s post now opens a 45-day window, which begins Tuesday and ends at 5 p.m. ET on January 23. Every MLB team is now allowed to try to convince the 23-year-old talent to sign when the international amateur signing period opens. January 15.
With Sasaki under 23, he is not eligible for the type of deal his compatriot, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, signed last year. Instead, it is limited to international bonus pools, which are typically used to sign Latin American amateurs.
Waiting until 2025 will bring significant financial benefits to both Sasaki and his current team, the NPB Chiba Lotte Marines. International bonus pools will be reset when the new signing period begins in 2025, with each team having between 5 and 8 million dollars. Sasaki will get more money in the meantime, and that matters to the Marines because the assignment fees they receive will be 20% of his signing bonus.
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Juan Soto joins Mets in $765 million deal
It’s Juan Soto to the New York Mets via the richest contract known in sports history.
The New York Yankees slugger received the most anticipated payday of the offseason on Sunday, agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, according to multiple reports.
Juan Soto’s former manager invoked another judge while discussing his deal
Padres manager Mike Shildt was thrilled that Juan Soto got his huge contract, reminding everyone that Judge Judy made $47 million a year: “And I don’t think she really pitched a very good curveball or a really good slider.”
Cobb, 37, made just five appearances between the regular season and playoffs with the Guardians last season.
He pitched 16 1/3 innings in three regular season starts, recording a 1.04 WHIP and 2.76 ERA. Cobb didn’t start his season until August after suffering left hip surgery and a right shoulder injury.
Free agent right-hander Alex Cobb in agreement with Tigers on one-year contract, sources say @TheAthletic. The deal is pending a medical review.
Juan Soto’s former manager talks about his mega-deal with the Mets
Nationals manager Dave Martinez explains how happy he is for Soto: “I love Juan. I can sit here and say I’m the only manager to win the World Series with him. And this?
RP Jordan Romano signs one-year deal with Phillies
Romano, 31, played in just 15 games last season with the Blue Jays. His season was cut short in July after he underwent surgery to repair an impingement in his right elbow. Two months later, it was closed for a year.
In six years in Toronto, Romano recorded 105 saves in 229 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 285 batters in 231 wins with a WHIP of 1.14 and an opponent’s batting average of .205.
After allowing Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez to enter free agency, the Phillies begin to reshape their bullpen with the addition of Romano.
The Phillies are close to agreeing to a one-year deal with Jordan Romano, sources tell me and @feinsand. The deal is still physically pending.
Sasaki’s post opens a 45-day window, which begins Tuesday and ends January 23 at 5 p.m. ET. Every MLB team is now allowed to try to convince the 23-year-old talent to sign when the international amateur signing period opens in January. 15.
With Sasaki’s assignment period opening today, all signs point to him signing with a @MLB team between January 15 and January 23.
The new @MLB The international signing period (for all players) begins on January 15, and Sasaki’s assignment window ends on January 23. @MLBNetworkhttps://t.co/gVcZmnCgdX
With Sasaki under 23, he is not eligible for the type of deal his compatriot, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, signed last year. Instead, it is limited to international bonus pools, which are typically used to sign Latin American amateurs.
For the Yankees, losing Juan Soto to the Mets is about more than baseball
For 327 peaceful days, Juan Soto was a New York Yankee.
It was a glorious and captivating tenure. One is filled with swaggering acts of baseball domination — no doubt defiant home runs and walks on balls and gestures of love toward hordes of adoring bleacher creatures. A perfect match, they said. Soto, a monumental player born to play for the most monumental team in baseball. In Game 5 of the ALCS, with an at-bat for the ages and a swing for the books, Soto sent the Yankees to the World Series. It all seemed like just the beginning.
Late Sunday evening, this ride ended suddenly, with a dull, definitive thud.
Mets owner Steve Cohen extended a jaw-dropping, game-changing $765 million contract over 15 years to make this possible. This is not only the largest deal in MLB history; It’s the biggest transaction in sports history.. Cohen, one of the 100 richest souls on the planet, was willing to reach previously unthinkable heights to bring Soto to Queens. He outbid the Yankees, plain and simple.
Earlier Sunday, the Dodgers reached a deal with Michael Conforto, poaching him from the NL West rival Giants. Conforto is joining the World Series champion Dodgers on a one-year deal worth $17 million, according to multiple reports.
While the dust has yet to settle on the news of Juan Soto’s contract, news has broken that reliever Blake Treinen has agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 36-year-old right-hander will return to Los Angeles for his fifth season with the franchise, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Right-handed reliever Blake Treinen and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a contract, sources tell ESPN.
