NEW YORK -- The news spread like a flash of lightning on the night of Dec. 8. The New York Mets and free agent outfielder Juan Soto had reached an agreement on a jaw-dropping 15-year, $765 million contract that would be the largest in professional sports history once signed. That's larger than any deal global superstars such as Lionel Messi , Cristiano Ronaldo or LeBron James have ever inked with any of their teams.

The Mets made the deal official three days later and introduced their new left-handed bat the next day at a packed news conference. They stressed to reporters their ambitious plan of building a dynasty and, equally important, earning the attention of fans in a city where their powerful neighbors, the New York Yankees , dominate the headlines.

At that point, Soto

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