The Juan Soto sweepstakes are taking over baseball this winter. Five to 10 different teams are expected to pursue Soto, all offering him offers likely in excess of $400 million.

Teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have entered the race, although the New York Yankees and New York Mets are considered the favorites.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently discussed Soto’s upcoming free agency, talk about what general managers expect from the length and value of his contract.

“One interested general manager said he thought Soto would seek a record 15-year contract, likely for more than Judge’s record $40 million salary (and perhaps the record $43.3 million overall). Max Scherzer/Justin Verlander dollars as well) and suggested at least 13, a record, will be offered,” Heyman wrote.

Could Soto actually land a deal beyond Shohei Ohtani’s record $700 million contract?

The answer to this question is perhaps resounding.

And let’s start by prefacing. Soto won’t earn a 10-year, $700 million contract. For him to reach $700 million, he would need a record 15-year contract, but it’s entirely possible. Let’s do the math.

As Heyman stated, Soto is reportedly looking for a 15-year contract that would take him through his age-41 season. Fifteen years at $40 million per year would even earn him $600 million. That $600 million figure should be considered the floor for what Soto could get this winter.

If he gets $45 million per year for 15 years, that would be a contract worth $675 million. Closer, but not there yet.

A 15-year, $700 million contract is expected to be worth $46.67 million per year. This isn’t completely out of character for Soto, especially given how competitive his market is. Deferred money could also play a role in this. If a team is willing to offer $50 million to $100 million in deferred money on top of a massive contract, they could surpass the $700 million threshold.

This is not completely irrelevant.

More MLB: Two ‘mystery teams’ set to join Yankees, Mets and others in Juan Soto sweepstakes