Juan Soto's contract with Mets unearths crazier Pirates problem than fans believed

No matter how much he wanted us to believe that he was willing to listen to offers from all 30 MLB teams during free agency, Juan Soto was never going to land with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Like, not in a million years.

Soto, the most coveted free agent on the market this offseason, signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets before the start of Winter Meetings. His contract can reach above $800 million with escalators and contains no deferred money, making it the largest deal in professional sports history.

Soto's deal marks a harsh reminder that many MLB clubs – including the Pirates – will never be in the conversation to land the best free agents in the game. And therein lies the problem.

How Juan Soto signing with the New York Mets affects the Pittsburgh Pirates

Soto earned his record-breaking contract following an impressive season with the New York Yankees in which he hit a career-high 41 home runs while batting .288 and adding 109 RBI. He helped lead the club to its first World Series appearance since 2009, hitting .327 and adding four home runs and nine RBI in the postseason.

Again, the Pirates never had a chance at Soto, but his contract with the Mets still impacts Pittsburgh in free agency. When all is said and done, Soto's contract is worth upwards of $800 million. That's more than the Pirates have spent on their total team payroll over the past 10 years ($726 million, to be precise).

This isn't to say that the Pirates should have shelled out $765 million for Soto – or any free agent, for that matter – but it's a reminder of why team owner Bob Nutting's bare minimum spending strategy will never work in today's MLB.

It may be a while before we see another player of Soto's caliber hit the free agent market. But as long as MLB remains without a salary floor, small market teams will continue to be at a grave disadvantage when it comes to landing big names in free agency.

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