This winter, Steve Cohen made history by signing the largest contract in sports, and now the New York Mets owner is sharing his reasoning behind the blockbuster deal.
In December, the Mets emerged victorious in the fierce bidding war for superstar Juan Soto, securing the 26-year-old slugger with a massive 15-year, $765 million contract—one that could keep him in Queens for the remainder of his career.
In an in-depth article published Tuesday by Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, Cohen explained why he was willing to go all-in on Soto.
“I look at it pretty simply,” Cohen said. “There wasn’t going to be another player like him on the market maybe in the next five, six, seven years. So this really was an opportunity to bring someone in at an age where you were getting him in his prime years. It’s pretty rare. I mean, we already had a pretty good club. This was an opportunity to get a special player in an opportunity that may not exist for a while.”
His assessment is hard to argue. Outside of Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani, no other left-handed hitter in baseball matches Soto’s ability to impact games. A four-time All-Star, he ranks fifth all-time in walk rate and 17th in on-base percentage, boasting a career .953 OPS—third among active players, trailing only Aaron Judge (1.010) and Mike Trout (.991).
Soto carefully weighed his decision, consulting with his family before ultimately choosing the Mets. While the Yankees were initially his top choice, Cohen’s investment in the franchise and Soto’s confidence in the team’s long-term vision helped sway him to Queens.
Ultimately, Cohen was willing to break records for Soto because players of his caliber and age rarely hit the open market, making this a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
