Calling Soto ‘Mona Lisa of the museum,’ Boras indicates client may try to top Ohtani’s record $700M

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Agent Scott Boras indicated Juan Soto may be seeking to top Shohei Ohtani’s record $700 million contract because he is three years younger than the Japanese two-way star was when he reached his deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Boras gave a pun-filled, 48-minute assessment of the market at the general managers meetings on Wednesday, calling Soto “the Mona Lisa of the museum.” Boras said only a handful of players have matched Soto’s accomplishments at age 26, mentioning Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Ted Williams, and boasted “he has literally 15 years more of his prime to offer.”

“You’re talking about a business opportunity where you can make literally billions of dollars by acquiring somebody,” Boras said. “You can really see that owners, general managers, that they’re kind of called upon to be championship magicians. ... It’s hard to do, to put together that magic of a championship run, but behind every great magician obviously is the magic Juan.”

Ohtani agreed to his 10-year contract late last year and helped lead the team to its second World Series title in five years. The deal contains $680 million in deferred money payable from 2034-43, reducing its average annual value for purposes of baseball’s luxury tax to approximately $46.08 million.

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“I don’t think Ohtani has much to do with Juan Soto, at all,” Boras said. “It’s not something we discuss or consider. Juan Soto is — he’s in an age category that separates him from all.”

He wouldn’t publicly discuss specifics of what Soto is seeking.

“I’m not going to talk about dollars and cents. That’s something we’ll take care of with the clubs,” Boras said.

He dismissed the idea of Soto accepting deferred money similar to Ohtani.

“I don’t think that tax considerations are the focal point when you’re talking about a business opportunity where you can make literally billions of dollars by acquiring somebody,” he said.

Boras sprinkled in attempts at humor when discussing several of his top free agents:

—First baseman Pete Alonso, nicknamed the Polar Bear: “We hear a lot about the bear market for power-hitting first baseman and for Pete’s sake, it’s the polar opposite.”

—Pitcher Corbin Burnes: “He continues to be a Corbin copy of his previous seasons.”

—Pitcher Blake Snell: “There’s no doubt that the Snelling salts have created a lot of whiffs.”

—Third baseman Alex Bregman: “He’s provided the Astros with an infusion of championship blood. I’d say everything about him is AB positive.”

Soto was traded from Washington to San Diego in 2022 after turning down a $440 million, 15-year offer. He was dealt to the New York Yankees last December and hit .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 128 runs, hitting second in the batting order ahead of Aaron Judge. The Yankees want to retain Soto after he helped them reach the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Soto is expected to be pursued by the New York Mets and billionaire owner Steve Cohen.

“The Mets are obviously trying to get to their goal, which is winning a world championship,” Boras said. “I think they’ve been very clear about pursuing this aggressively.”

Soto intends to meet with owners who want him.

“I’m going to commit my career to it and I want the owner to commit his resources to it,” Boras said of his client’s mindset. “That’s really why Juan Soto became a free agent.”

Boras said Soto would be a moneymaker for whichever team he signs with.

“When the owners win repeatedly, their revenues skyrocket. They develop the impact of postseason play, attendance, rights in the streaming world,” he said. “Plus the international branding.”

Boras maintained that disruption in broadcast revenue should not be a factor in the market, which was slow last offseason after Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy. MLB took over broadcasts of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2023 season, the Colorado Rockies this year and the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins for 2025.

“The TV uncertainty was kind of last year’s question,” Boras said. “Clubs have been offered contracts for (regional sports networks) and they’ve rejected them. They’re building their own platforms.”

Boras repeated that Bryce Harper remains open to adding to his deal with the Phillies, a $330 million, 13-year contract through 2031.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb