The Dominican baseball player joins the Mets as a free agent after playing for the New York Yankees last season.

The New York Mets have reportedly made history by signing Dominican baseball superstar Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million deal – the largest contract ever in professional sports – prompting oddsmakers to peg New York as a serious deal to be classified as candidates for promotion into the next season.

The official website of Major League Baseball (MLB) and several media outlets in the United States reported Soto’s blockbuster move on Sunday.

ESPN reported that Soto’s Mets contract could ultimately be worth more than $800 million if certain benchmarks are met, eclipsing the $700 million, 10-year deal the Los Angeles Dodgers signed last year the Japanese star Shohei Ohtani.

Soto had entered free agency after playing last season for the New York Yankees, who had hoped to re-sign the talented 26-year-old outfielder. He hit 41 home runs and 166 hits for the Bronx Bombers last season.

The guessing game about Soto’s likely next destination had dominated baseball’s rumor mill since the Yankees were beaten 4-1 by the Dodgers in the World Series in October.

The Yankees were just one of several teams actively pursuing the explosive slugger, with the Mets and Boston Red Sox among the teams that met with Soto’s representatives to discuss a potential deal.

However, the Mets won the race for Soto after a season in which they made a gigantic playoff run to the National League Championship Series, where they ultimately lost to the Dodgers.

The Mets will be the fourth team in Soto’s relatively short career.

He quickly burst onto the Major League Baseball scene during his first full season in 2019, helping the Washington Nationals to a surprising World Series victory over the Houston Astros.

He turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer to remain with the Nationals in 2022 and was ultimately traded to the San Diego Padres in August of that year.

But Soto couldn’t settle in San Diego and returned to the East Coast in December 2023, joining the Yankees.