It seems hard to remember now, but two and a half years ago some people doubted Juan Soto. When he turned down a $440 million, 15-year contract extension from the Washington Nationals, gasps could be heard from Bethesda to Alexandria. What does he think he’ll get? some of these people asked themselves. 500 million dollars?

No, someone familiar with the situation confirmed Sports Illustrated on Sunday when the winter meetings opened. 765 million dollars.

23 current owners bought their teams for less money.

Soto bet on himself and won to a degree that even he might not have expected. The deal is the largest in North American sports history, making him the New York Met for 15 years. Soto’s average annual value of $51 million is also the highest in history for today’s value. (The New York Post first reported on the pact.)

The contract includes a termination after five years and – remarkably – no deferrals, meaning Soto will earn about $300 million more than any other MLB player on a single contract. (Two-Way star Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year for 10 years and made $700 million, opted to defer $680 million of that money, putting his current value closer to $461 million US dollars and its AAV is around US $46.1 million.)

If you count the $23 million Soto took in arbitration in 2023 and the $31 million in 2024 – which agent Scott Boras certainly does – that’s $819 million, an increase of 86% compared to this extension offer.

Soto, who turned 26 in October, is already one of the best hitters of all time: His career OPS of .953 is 23rd all-time. Only six players have hit more home runs at age 25 than Soto’s 201, and his 760 walks beat No. 2 (Mickey Mantle) by 99. Soto is almost as good in the postseason, but has one knack right now: His 10th Inning His two-out, two-strike, three-run home run that sent the Yankees to the World Series this October was one of his teammates’ best performances ever seen. “Just a hit for the ages,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

So there was no question that Soto had a chance to set salary records. However, when Soto declined the Nationals’ offer, those around him struggled with his decision. The news that he had turned down nearly half a billion dollars turned “all the fans, all the Dominicans, even my family against me,” he told SI in 2023. He found himself completely overwhelmed trying to overcome their skepticism, especially in the midst of upheaval: The Nationals traded him to the San Diego Padres that summer; After a season and a half, the Padres sent him to the Yankees to save salary.

“A lot of teammates said, ‘We respect your thinking, but that’s a lot of money,'” he said. “I’m like, ‘Guys, I’m trying to do what’s best for me and my family.’ And you have to go out there and perform. And you try to perform for people who doubt you. And that’s one of the things I hated.” Even nine months after he turned down the Nationals, some of his relatives still didn’t understand, he said.

This segment marked the first time Soto truly questioned whether he was cut out for the spotlight. He had always been a showman: As a teenager, he would choreograph an elaborate dance every time he made a close throw. At 21, he carried his bat to first base after a home run during the 2019 World Series. At 23, he debuted a necklace that featured a diamond-encrusted pendant depicting himself performing the Soto Shuffle.

Still, he got through his first few months in San Diego, and some of the people close to him wondered if he had been distracted by the rumors or even wished he had just taken the money and stayed in D.C. But then he started it struck again and then he started smiling again. He showed up to his Yankees introductory press conference wearing a T-shirt that read “THE GENERATIONAL JUAN SOTO.” He delivered the best season of his career and finished third in MVP voting.

Then the free agent frenzy began. While Ohtani’s camp reportedly told potential teams that he would punish them for leaks, Soto joined in on the scheme, posting an Instagram video that looked like an announcement of his goal but was actually just a promotion for his new brand deal with one energy drink manufacturer.

The drama ended on Sunday with news of his decision. Mets fans celebrated loudly. Yankees fans mourned. The people who doubted Soto were harder to find.