This Reds comparison proves Juan Soto’s new contract is embarrassing for MLB

Juan Soto just signed the largest contract in baseball history. The superstar outfielder inked a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets. The deal contains an opt-out after the 2029 season that the Mets can void by increasing the average annual value from $51 million to $55 million over the final 10 years of the contract.

While congratulations are in order for Soto and his agent Scott Boras, the Mets have just agreed to what's likely to be one of the worst contracts in Major League Baseball history. Either that, or the Cincinnati Reds had one of the biggest bargains ever during Joey Votto's tenure in the Queen City.

Former Reds 1B Joey Votto's production is eerily similar to the numbers Juan Soto put up

Votto retired from baseball last year after several down-seasons. The Reds chose not to exercise Votto's club-option last offseason; and with good reason. The six-time All-Star had become a shell of his former self, and his final two seasons with the Reds saw Votto hit .204/.317/.394 with 25 home runs and 79 RBI while appearing in just 156 games.

But Votto's run during his first seven seasons was unlike anything Reds fans had ever seen. From 2008-2014, Votto was one of the best players in baseball. The Reds' first baseman went to four All-Star Games during that time and also won the NL MVP (2010) and a Gold Glove Award (2011).

When you stack Votto's stats through his first seven seasons side-by-side with Soto's, the two mirror each other quite a bit. Votto's batting average (.310) is slightly higher than Soto's (.285), but the new Mets' outfielder (201) outpaced the former Reds' first baseman (159) in homers. Both players owned a .532 slugging percentage through their first seven seasons in the league.

Votto would eventually go on to sign the largest contract in Reds' history back in 2012, inking a 10-year, $225 million deal at the age of 28. The extension included the final two years of Votto's previous contract, effectively making it worth $251.5 million over 12 years. Soto is two years younger, but like Votto, the contract will take him into his 40s. However, Soto's annual salary is nearly triple what Votto was earning, and even by the current economic standards, that's absurd.

Joey Votto's contract didn't age well, and neither will Juan Soto's

Through the first 10 years of his career, Votto was widely recognized as a perennial top-20 player and few criticized the massive pay day he was receiving. Through 2017, Votto hit .313/.429/.540 with a 159 OPS+ and 253 round-trippers. But during his final six seasons, Votto posted a .250/.365/.443 slash line with a 112 OPS+ and only 99 homers. Votto became a source of consternation among the Cincinnati faithful, and while Reds fans loved what he'd done, they were quite unhappy with the player he'd become — especially while eating up a huge chunk of the payroll.

But Votto isn't the only mega-star to land a big paycheck only to fizzle out over the second-half of the deal. Albert Pujols comes to mind during his time with the Los Angeles Angels, and the San Diego Padres will likely regret the 11-year, $350 million deal they agreed to with Manny Machado.

These giant contracts don't age well, and the Mets will find that out the hard way. Either the Mets massively overpaid for Soto or a number of Reds fans owe Votto an apology for the constant criticism over the final few years of his likely Hall of Fame career.

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