The bomb of Juan Soto’s massive 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets dropped on Sunday just before the MLB Winter Meetings officially got underway. The Phillies now face the reality of the revamped pesky Mets with the addition of one of the sport’s biggest stars, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The most lucrative contract in sports history also includes a $75 million signing bonus and an opt-out after his fifth year in 2029. The Mets have the option to void the opt-out and tack on an additional $4 million per season for the remainder of the deal, taking his annual earnings from $51 million to $55 million to keep him in Queens. This would push the total value to $805 million. The signing also adds another layer of difficulty for the Phillies to top the Mets in an increasing powerhouse in the NL East.

Soto can either opt out after the fifth year (2029) or receive a $4 million raise per season — from $51 million to $55 million — for the remainder of the contract, per source. https://t.co/3Vh6pXJ8ZB

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) December 9, 2024

The Phillies’ veteran core will have to go through Juan Soto and the Mets to win a World Series in the next five years

Soto earned himself the massive payday with seven exceptional big league seasons with a .953 OPS and 201 home runs. Those talents landed him in Queens where he joins the ranks of NL MVP runner-up shortstop Francisco Lindor and recent playoff star Mark Vientos.

Just last season, the Mets bested the Phillies with relative ease in the NLDS, winning three games to one. Adding Soto now puts the Phillies between a rock and a hard place. Yes, Soto can opt out in five years, but the Phillies’ championship window may dry up by then.

The opt-out leaves Soto still at the prime age of 31. That’s still five years up against a loaded Mets roster and a retooling Atlanta Braves team seeking redemption in a division they captured the last six years prior. The current core of Phillies veterans, including Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, have their work cut out for them in their few years of opportunity left.

The Phillies’ competitive window and chance at a World Series title is right now, per MLB.com’s Will Leitch. They can certainly try to sign Soto in 2030 (if he leaves New York), but who knows what shape the franchise will be in. The division is now tougher than it has ever been. The prospect names of Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford are great, but future team success is never a given, especially facing a team with Soto on the other side of the diamond.

The New York Yankees thought they were safe (subscription required) from heartbreak and they were sadly proven wrong, per Andy McCullough and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. A missed opportunity for Philadelphia is all you can call it now. Soto isn’t for sale anymore, so it’s time to pivot and build around what you have because the race for the NL East is just getting started.