- Spring training is underway in Major League Baseball as the regular season is set to begin on Thursday, March 27, 2025
- Juan Soto homered in his first spring-training at-bet for the New York Mets after signing a 15-year, $765 million contract this offseason.
- Alex Bregman also homered in his debut for the Boston Red Sox after inking a three-year, $120 million deal.
It’s a good time to be a baseball fan or bettor, as spring training has started in Florida for all 30 teams. That means we’ve had some big-name debuts already.
Juan Soto made news for signing the biggest contract in sports history, and his time with the New York Mets started with a bang. Alex Bregman didn’t get Soto’s contract, but he still went deep for Boston in his debut.
Soto Launches 426-Foot Home Run for Mets
It didn’t take long for Soto to make an impact for the Mets in a 6-2 win over Houston in their first spring-training game on February 22.
Soto hit a solo homer to left-center field in his first at-bat after signing the biggest contract in sports history in December. He also drove in a run with a ground ball in his only other at-bat of the day. The 26-year-old right fielder hasn’t played since, but when he does, you can expect Soto and the Mets to be a popular MLB spring-training bet.
All eyes will be on Soto throughout the season after inking a 15-year deal worth $765 million. It’s an even juicier storyline as Soto left the New York Yankees for the Mets, right after helping the Yankees to the World Series. The Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Soto did his part. He hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs last season. In the playoffs, Soto hit .327 with four home runs and nine RBIs.
But Soto decided to leave Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for Citi Field in Queens. The Mets are pushing all their chips in after signing Soto. They also re-signed veteran first baseman Pete Alonso to a two-year deal worth $54 million, so the Mets have plenty of power when you consider shortstop Francisco Lindor.
There are high hopes for the Mets at MLB betting sites to win the World Series after falling to the Dodgers in six games in the 2024 NLCS. Soto will be the main man in the spotlight.
Bregman Goes Deep for Red Sox, Has Three Hits in Debut
Alex Bregman’s new contract didn’t get as much attention as Soto’s did. Bregman spent the first nine years of his career in Houston, where he won two World Series in 2017 and 2022. But Bregman left Houston for Boston, where he signed a three-year deal worth $120 million. The 30-year-old third baseman had a stellar debut for the Red Sox on February 23. He had three hits, including a two-run homer in the second inning of an 8-7 loss to Toronto.
Bregman batted .260 with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs for the Astros, who lost to Detroit in last year’s American League wild-card series. The Red Sox haven’t made the playoffs since 2021, where coincidentally, they lost to Bregman’s Astros in the ALCS.
There is still some issue as to where Bregman will play, as incumbent third baseman Rafael Devers said he didn’t want to move positions. The Red Sox will have some work to do in figuring out how to play the two together.
