y Ak6#y1#r;ת_72sEcޓ<
ќݵYǃQP0AEԘZ,(t¨Us8oxvG6 Joe Burrow's home broken into during Monday Night Football in latest pro-athlete home invasionA new motion filed by the lawyers for makes some pretty lofty allegations against the government which has imprisoned him. Combs is accusing authorities of spying on the disgraced music mogul while he’s been behind bars. Combs was arrested in Brooklyn back in September after he was indicted on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. This is not the first time has accused the federal government of misconduct. They have previously asserted that Combs’ cell search at the Metropolitan Detention Center included a federal investigator taking pictures of his handwritten notes, which were privileged. He has pleaded not guilty but has been denied bail three different times. In a filing obtained by , the defense stated “the evidence shows [that] the government is using Mr. Combs’ detention to spy on him and invade his confidential communications with his counsel.” The defense says the images were then sent to prosecutors, though they insisted it was part of a pre-planned sweep and did not target certain inmates. Combs’ team stated that the government “knowingly, intentionally and secretly” attempted to use them against their client. A hearing was previously held in which Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that he would not consider any evidence that was gathered in the jail sweep at a November bail hearing. However, he still refused to grant Combs bail and called the Bad Boy Records founder “a serious risk of witness tampering.” This is just the latest development in Combs’ legal woes. Earlier this week, fashion designer Bryana “Bana” Bongolan filed a lawsuit against Combs accusing him of dangling her over the 17th-floor balcony of his ex ’s apartment. According to documents obtained by , Bongolan claimed in one instance, she even saw Combs , who then allegedly threw one back in self-defense. Bongolan is seeking $10 million in damages.
MENLO PARK, Calif. , Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAIL, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRAL), a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured, today announced that it has granted equity awards in the form of restricted stock units ("RSUs") underlying an aggregate of 115,093 shares of GRAIL's common stock to 46 recently hired non-executive employees as an inducement material to their acceptance of employment with GRAIL. The employment inducement awards were granted under GRAIL's Inducement Equity Incentive Plan and related form of restricted stock award agreement in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The inducement plan is used exclusively for the grant of equity awards to individuals who were not previously employees of GRAIL, or following a bona fide period of non-employment, as an inducement material to such individuals entering into employment with GRAIL, pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The RSUs vest over an approximately four year period, with 25% of the award vesting November 30, 2025 , and on each one year anniversary of those respective dates thereafter, subject to continued employment with GRAIL (or any successor to or subsidiary of the Company) through the vesting dates. About GRAIL GRAIL is a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. GRAIL is focused on alleviating the global burden of cancer by using the power of next-generation sequencing, population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art machine learning, software, and automation to detect and identify multiple deadly cancer types in earlier stages. GRAIL's targeted methylation-based platform can support the continuum of care for screening and precision oncology, including multi-cancer early detection in symptomatic patients, risk stratification, minimal residual disease detection, biomarker subtyping, treatment and recurrence monitoring. GRAIL is headquartered in Menlo Park, CA with locations in Washington, D.C. , North Carolina , and the United Kingdom . For more information, visit grail.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grail-announces-inducement-grants-under-nasdaq-listing-rule-5635c4-302321454.html SOURCE GRAIL, Inc.Health rethink needed as aging escalates Canada's costs significantly: report
NEW YORK (AP) — In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple's Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing with President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office in January. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said in remarks at Mar-a-Lago . “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.” Tech companies and leaders have now poured millions into his inauguration fund, a sharp increase — in most cases — from past pledges to incoming presidents. But what does the tech industry expect to gain out of their renewed relationships with Trump? A clue to what the industry is looking for came just days before the election when Microsoft executives — who’ve largely tried to show a neutral or bipartisan stance — joined with a close Trump ally, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, to publish a blog post outlining their approach to artificial intelligence policy. “Regulation should be implemented only if its benefits outweigh its costs,” said the document signed by Andreessen, his business partner Ben Horowitz, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company's president, Brad Smith. They also urged the government to back off on any attempt to strengthen copyright laws that would make it harder for companies to use publicly available data to train their AI systems. And they said, “the government should examine its procurement practices to enable more startups to sell technology to the government.” Trump has pledged to rescind President Joe Biden’s sweeping AI executive order, which sought to protect people’s rights and safety without stifling innovation. He hasn’t specified what he would do in its place, but his campaign said AI development should be “rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.” Trump's choice to head the Interior Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has spoken openly about the need to boost electricity production to meet increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. “The AI battle affects everything from defense to healthcare to education to productivity as a country,′′ Burgum said on Nov. 15, referring to artificial intelligence. “And the AI that’s coming in the next 18 months is going to be revolutionary. So there’s just a sense of urgency and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration′′ to address it. Demand for data centers ballooned in recent years due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, and local governments are competing for lucrative deals with big tech companies. But as data centers begin to consume more resources, some residents are pushing back against the world’s most powerful corporations over concerns about the economic, social and environmental health of their communities. “Maybe Big Tech should buy a copy of ‘The Art of The Deal’ to figure out how to best negotiate with this administration,” suggested Paul Swanson, an antitrust attorney for the law firm Holland & Hart. “I won’t be surprised if they find ways to reach some accommodations and we end up seeing more negotiated resolutions and consent decrees.” Although federal regulators began cracking down on Google and Facebook during Trump’s first term as president — and flourished under Biden — most experts expect his second administration to ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to business mergers. Google may benefit from Trump’s return after he made comments on the campaign trail suggesting a breakup of the company isn’t in the U.S. national interest, after a judge declared its search engine an illegal monopoly . But recent nominations put forward by his transition team have favored those who have been critical of Big Tech companies, suggesting Google won’t be entirely off the hook. Cook’s notoriously rocky relationship with the EU can be traced back to a 2016 ruling from Brussels in a tax case targeting Apple. Cook slammed the bloc’s order for Apple to pay back up to 13 billion euros ($13.7 billion) in Irish back taxes as “total political crap.” Trump, then in his first term as president, piled on, referring to the European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who was spearheading a campaign on special tax deals and a crackdown on Big Tech companies, as the “tax lady” who “really hates the U.S.” Brussels was eventually vindicated after the bloc’s top court rejected Apple’s appeal this year, though it didn’t stop Cook from calling Trump to complain, Trump recounted in a podcast in October. Trump hosted Cook for a Friday evening dinner at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Neither Apple nor the Trump transition team has commented on the nature of their discussions. Altman , Amazon and Meta all pledged to donate $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund. During his first term, Trump criticized Amazon and railed against the political coverage at The Washington Post, which billionaire Bezos owns. Meanwhile, Bezos had criticized some of Trump’s past rhetoric. In 2019, Amazon also argued in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. More recently, Bezos has struck a more conciliatory tone. He recently said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York that he was “optimistic” about Trump’s second term, while also endorsing president-elect’s plans to cut regulations. The donation from Meta came just weeks after Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president, but voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt. Still, Trump in recent months had continued to attack Zuckerberg publicly. And Altman, who is in a legal dispute with AI rival Elon Musk, has said he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence in the incoming administration. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging that the maker of ChatGPT betrayed its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits.DORAL, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 23, 2024-- NeueHealth, Inc. (“NeueHealth” or the “Company”) (NYSE: NEUE), the value-driven healthcare company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which the Company will be acquired by an affiliate of New Enterprise Associates (“NEA”) at an enterprise value of approximately $1.3 billion. Upon completion of the transaction, NeueHealth will become a privately held company with the flexibility and resources to continue advancing its value-driven, consumer-centric care model. Under the terms of the merger agreement, holders of NeueHealth common stock (other than shares that will be rolled over and certain excluded shares) will receive $7.33 per share in cash, which represents a premium of approximately 70% over the closing price of NeueHealth common stock on December 23, 2024. Certain stockholders of NeueHeath, including NEA and 12 existing NeueHealth investors (which collectively hold all of the outstanding shares of NeueHealth preferred stock), have entered into rollover agreements pursuant to which such stockholders will continue their investments by exchanging their shares of NeueHealth common stock and/or preferred stock for newly issued equity interests in the privately held company, and the Company’s existing secured loan facility with Hercules Capital, Inc. will remain in place. NeueHealth’s executive leadership team will continue in their roles upon completion of the transaction and intends to roll over 100% of their equity interests for newly issued equity interests in the privately held company. “We are pleased to announce this transaction as we believe it places NeueHealth in a strong position for continued growth while maximizing value for all of NeueHealth’s public stockholders,” said Mike Mikan, President and CEO of NeueHealth. “NEA has been a longstanding strategic partner, and we look forward to continuing to work together to build on NeueHealth’s success as a leader in value-based care.” “We believe NeueHealth has built a differentiated model of care that is uniquely positioned to drive value for consumers, providers, and payors and we have confidence in the NeueHealth team and their ability to continue to lead the Company,” said Mohamad Makhzoumi, Co-CEO of NEA. “We have had a strong partnership with NeueHealth since 2016 and share the Company’s commitment to making high-quality healthcare accessible and affordable for all Americans.” Transaction Details A special committee (the “Special Committee”) of the board of directors of NeueHealth (the “Board”), composed entirely of independent and disinterested directors and advised by its own independent legal and financial advisors, unanimously recommended that the Board approve the transaction and determined it was in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders that are not affiliated with NEA. Acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee, the Board subsequently unanimously approved the transaction and determined to recommend that NeueHealth stockholders vote to approve and adopt the merger agreement. Certain NeueHealth stockholders have agreed to vote all of their shares of NeueHealth common stock and/or preferred stock to approve and adopt the merger agreement, subject to certain conditions. The merger is subject to approval by NeueHealth’s stockholders and other customary closing conditions, including receipt of certain regulatory approvals. NEA intends to finance the transaction with fully committed equity financing, and the transaction is not subject to any financing condition. Upon completion of the transaction, NeueHealth’s common stock will no longer be publicly traded or listed on any public market. The merger agreement includes a 30-day “go-shop” period that will expire at 12:01 AM New York City time on January 23, 2025, which permits the Special Committee and its financial advisors to solicit and consider alternative acquisition proposals. There can be no assurance that this process will result in a superior proposal, and NeueHealth does not intend to disclose developments with respect to the “go-shop” process unless and until it determines such disclosure is appropriate or is otherwise required. Lincoln International, LLC is acting as financial advisor, and Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. is acting as legal counsel, to the Special Committee. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal counsel to NeueHealth. Latham and Watkins LLP is acting as legal counsel to NEA, with Sidley Austin LLP acting as insurance regulatory counsel to NEA. More information regarding the key terms will be included in a current report on Form 8-K to be filed by NeueHealth with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Important Information and Where to Find It In connection with the transaction, the Company will file with the SEC a proxy statement on Schedule 14A (the “Proxy Statement”), the definitive version of which will be sent or provided to Company stockholders. The Company, affiliates of the Company and affiliates of NEA intend to jointly file a transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 (the "Schedule 13E-3") with the SEC. The Company may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the transaction. This release is not a substitute for the Proxy Statement, the Schedule 13E-3 or any other document which the Company may file with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT, THE SCHEDULE 13E-3 AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT ARE FILED OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE COMPANY OR THE TRANSACTION BECAUSE THESE DOCUMENTS CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement, the Schedule 13E-3 and other documents that are filed or will be filed with the SEC by the Company, when such documents become available, through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or through the Company's website at https://investors.neuehealth.com/home/default.aspx . The transaction will be implemented solely pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 23, 2024 (the “merger agreement”), among the Company, NH Holdings 2025, Inc. and NH Holdings Acquisition 2025, Inc., which contains the full terms and conditions of the transaction. Participants in the Solicitation The Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders of the Company in connection with the proposed transaction. Information regarding the Company’s directors and executive officers is available in the definitive proxy statement for the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company, which was filed by the Company with the SEC on April 1, 2024 (the “Annual Meeting Proxy Statement”), and will be available in the Proxy Statement. Please refer to the sections captioned “Executive Compensation,” “Director Compensation,” and “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” in the Annual Meeting Proxy Statement. Holdings of the Company’s securities by certain of the Company’s employees, and any changes in the holdings of the Company’s securities by the Company’s directors or executive officers from the amounts described in the Annual Meeting Proxy Statement, have been reflected in the following Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC: Form 4, filed by George Lawrence Mikan III on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jay Matushak on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed Tomas Orozco on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jeffery Michael Craig on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jeffrey J. Scherman on May 6, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jay Matushak on May 13, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jeffrey J. Scherman on May 13, 2024; Form 4, filed by Kedrick D. Adkins, Jr. on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Andrew M. Slavitt on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Linda Gooden on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Mohamad Makhzoumi on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Robert J. Sheehy on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Matthew G. Manders on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Stephen Kraus on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Manuel Kadre on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jeffrey R. Immelt on May 14, 2024; Form 4, filed by Mohamad Makhzoumi on October 3, 2024; Form 4, filed by Jay Matushak on October 8, 2024; Form 4, filed by George Lawrence Mikan III on December 18, 2024. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the Proxy Statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction when they become available. Free copies of the Proxy Statement and such other materials may be obtained as described in the preceding paragraph. About NeueHealth NeueHealth is a value-driven healthcare company grounded in the belief that all health consumers are entitled to high-quality, coordinated care. By uniquely aligning the interests of health consumers, providers, and payors, NeueHealth helps to make healthcare accessible and affordable to all populations across the ACA Marketplace, Medicare, and Medicaid. NeueHealth delivers high-quality clinical care to over 500,000 health consumers through owned clinics and unique partnerships with over 3,000 affiliated providers. We also enable independent providers and medical groups to thrive in performance-based arrangements through a suite of technology and services scaled centrally and deployed locally. We believe our value-driven, consumer-centric care model can transform the healthcare experience and maximize value across the healthcare system. For more information, visit: www.neuehealth.com . About NEA New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. Founded in 1977, NEA has more than $25 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2024 and invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company’s lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of investing includes more than 280 portfolio company IPOs and more than 465 mergers and acquisitions. For more information, please visit www.nea.com . Forward-Looking Statements This release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements made in this release that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements and should be evaluated as such. Forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations, including descriptions of our business plan and strategies, and statements as to the expected timing, completion and effects of the transaction. These statements often include words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “plan,” “believe,” “intend,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimates,” “projections,” “outlook,” “ensure,” and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include any statements regarding our plans, expectations and financial guidance. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. Factors that might materially affect such forward-looking statements include: the failure to complete the transaction on the anticipated terms and within the anticipated timeframe, including as a result of failure to obtain required stockholder or regulatory approvals or to satisfy other closing conditions; potential litigation relating to the transaction that could be instituted against NEA, the Company or their respective affiliates, directors, managers, officers or employees, and the effects of any outcomes related thereto; potential adverse reactions or changes to our business relationships or operating results resulting from the announcement, pendency or completion of the transaction; the risk that our stock price may decline significantly if the transaction is not consummated; certain restrictions during the pendency of the transaction that may impact our ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; costs associated with the transaction, which may be significant; the occurrence of events, changes or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, including in circumstances requiring us to pay a termination fee; our ability to continue as a going concern; our ability to comply with the terms of our credit facilities or any credit facility into which we enter in the future; our ability to receive the remaining proceeds from the sale of our Medicare Advantage business in California in a timely manner; our ability to obtain any short or long term debt or equity financing needed to operate our business; our ability to quickly and efficiently complete the wind down of our remaining Individual and Family Plan (“IFP”) and MA businesses, including by satisfying liabilities of those businesses when due and payable; potential disruptions to our business due to the transaction or due to corporate restructuring and any resulting headcount reduction; our ability to accurately estimate and effectively manage the costs relating to changes in our business offerings and models; a delay or inability to withdraw regulated capital from our subsidiaries; a lack of acceptance or slow adoption of our business model; our ability to retain existing consumers and expand consumer enrollment; our and our care partner’s abilities to obtain and accurately assess, code, and report risk adjustment factor scores; our ability to contract with care providers and arrange for the provision of quality care; our ability to obtain claims information timely and accurately; the impact of any pandemic or epidemic on our business and results of operations; the risks associated with our reliance on third-party providers to operate our business; the impact of modifications or changes to the U.S. health insurance markets; our ability to manage any growth of our business; our ability to operate, update or implement our technology platform and other information technology systems; our ability to retain key executives; our ability to successfully pursue acquisitions, integrate acquired businesses, and quickly and efficiently divest businesses as needed; the occurrence of severe weather events, catastrophic health events, natural or man-made disasters, and social and political conditions or civil unrest; our ability to prevent and contain data security incidents and the impact of data security incidents on our members, patients, employees and financial results; our ability to comply with requirements to maintain effective internal controls; our ability to adapt to mitigate risks associated with our ACO businesses, including any unanticipated market or regulatory developments; and the other factors set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, and Form 8-K (including all amendments to those reports) and our other filings with the SEC. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this release to conform these statements to actual results or changes in our expectations. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223595862/en/ CONTACT: Investor Contact: IR@neuehealth.comMedia Contact: media@neuehealth.com KEYWORD: FLORIDA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PRACTICE MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MANAGED CARE HEALTH GENERAL HEALTH HEALTH TECHNOLOGY HEALTH INSURANCE HOSPITALS INSURANCE TELEMEDICINE/VIRTUAL MEDICINE FINANCE SOURCE: NeueHealth Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/23/2024 05:53 PM/DISC: 12/23/2024 05:53 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223595862/enFor the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter, with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. They are believed to be the two richest contracts in pro sports history. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future. There's reason to believe the megadeals for Ohtani and Soto are unicorns in the baseball world. Both players are uniquely talented, surely, but both also had unusual circumstances propelling their value into the stratosphere. Ohtani is the greatest two-way player in baseball history, capable of improving any team on both sides of the ball. He's also the rare baseball player who has true international appeal. His every move ( like his unexpected marriage announcement ) is followed closely in his native Japan, adding another 125 million potential fans who buy merchandise, watch him play and help fill the Dodgers' coffers. Then there's Soto — a four-time All-Star and on-base machine who won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The X-factor for him is he became a free agent at the prime age of 26, which is extremely hard to do under current MLB rules. Players have to be in the big leagues for six years before testing free agency. The precocious Soto debuted at 19 with the Nats, making him part of a rare group of players who reached the highest level of professional baseball as a teenager. That accelerated his free agency timeline. It's rare for players to debut that young, and rarer still for them to develop into stars and test the open market the first chance they get. Two recent examples are Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who both reached free agency in 2019. Machado signed a free-agent record $300 million contract with San Diego, and Harper overtook him days later with a $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Most players debut in the big leagues from ages 22 to 26, which means free agency comes in their late 20s or early 30s. A typical example is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is one of this generation's great players but didn't hit the market until he was 30. Judge played three seasons of college baseball for Fresno State before getting drafted by the Yankees in 2013 at age 21 — already two years older than Soto was when he made his MLB debut. It took a few years for the budding superstar to reach the majors, and he was 25 when he had his breakout season in 2018, smashing 52 homers to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. By the time he reached free agency after the 2022 season, he had already passed age 30. It's a major factor that led to him signing a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees, which seems downright reasonable these days after the Ohtani and Soto deals. Two major trends are colliding that will make it harder for guys like Soto to hit free agency in their mid 20s. First, MLB teams have been more likely in recent years to take college players early in the draft, betting on more experienced talents. Just 10 high school players were drafted among the top 30 picks in the 2024 draft. Second, teams are more eager to lock up young, premium talent on long-term deals very early in their careers, well before they hit free agency. Sometimes before they even reach the majors. Since Soto, just two players have debuted in MLB before their 20th birthday — Elvis Luciano and Junior Caminero. Luciano hasn't been back to the majors since his 2019 cup of coffee. Caminero is now 21 and has only played in 50 big league games. Among those that debuted at 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year deal with San Diego in 2021, years before reaching the open market. Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio got an $82 million, eight-year deal before even reaching the big leagues. Young stars Corbin Carroll ($111 million, eight years with Arizona), Bobby Witt Jr. ($288 million, 11 years with Kansas City) and Julio Rodriguez ($209.3 million, 12 years with Seattle) also got massive guarantees early in their 20s to forgo an early free agency. The exception and wild card: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a 26-year-old free agent next offseason. Guerrero hasn't been as consistent in his young career as Soto, but a standout 2025 season could position him to threaten Soto's deal. More likely is that the player to pass Soto isn't in the majors yet — and might not even be in pro baseball. When 25-year-old Alex Rodriguez signed his record $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in 2001, it took over a decade for another player to match that total, when Albert Pujols got $240 million over 10 years from the Angels in 2012. For many players, passing up life-changing money in their early or mid 20s is too enticing, even if it means that they might not maximize their value on the free agent market later in their careers. Soto was determined to test the market. He famously turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Washington Nationals in 2022, betting that he could make even more as a free agent. Not many players would turn down that kind of cash. Then again, that's what makes Soto so unique. And it's also why his $765 million deal could be the industry standard for some time.
̂w`K~==a,-0C.6">pRvk#Y
c0hb^uyc(B@ w6Z0)0 كra wa3pbl8O¬*v؛Y'">̂w`K~==a,-0C.6![[ 4YE- $` } mD[~ޖP?]|SCh[D](https://media.nbcphiladelphia.com/2025/01/108081073-1735663336590-gettyimages-2191956354-lastday568380_thaqxue9.jpeg?fit=1700%2C1000&quality=85&strip=all)
+y[ i{PD@ +-`{{Ζ].ă5 ;T1u^Jc
Bk")_ᾫꀁ ?wr=E}Jb1NU1/9[[fT
5[+)S 1|7qNFGg"LNI"6gImj q`alel #w'4`v_'wUB7C3 ^#s$5XI@oN?Vh%24 M=FwYgG ޱ2-_[鶟* p/a#C7 Dxc?2lhGOhn xU/PK X "ZW6c/ 0 slots.txtZɒ*;Esٟ$,q-.![fd]! % GauZQH!~nJ>HE]B);](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/b32cb7fd9051cd9538fcc637b39852fe4fc5bf77/2025/01/05/a2ab2c91-3689-4399-b6f2-0e5e2d81ccb1/samsung-and-google-will-unveil-their-own-dolby-atmos-alternative-at-ces-2025.jpg?auto=webp&width=1280)
fd]! % GauZQH!~nJ>HE]B);![%fmf jq3p@?|GZFlv B}Ӻ&S Ո;vK.nحDkZXam5pZ qp1qUy9 TJco!LK_l/G9K▻ Q0kD{ί2`AjɔMJ]
2v6=ɱx }k%&X<1(]qb=&NF%z=HQ_A+ 32F
+۩McmGHӉ|tn$lnŊp';rby:^w|e~ -WM0 80P(_ 7ev:GrjVzp5N9 IA-n ڴQZ}氿N #ˑpk*xaί5z.h~ =
;OAxΰN>T%Pń31|>j+ШN9\1 oTf@f3MS \FS| ͺf]ɷ-6(E[5|4츰?tń '9!^iz@(a4pgyhK١3t/ώNmnM$TZq|x@H#Ho-CʖG\ 8n-4p>dܿ, sg%ベ efeL|AΥ(j~ fE+$4 : _8
0.3ϯȂH$nT.[>\^/̬Ԁ {Ed^q G_R<Zlp`k$ / C](https://www.thenews.com.pk/assets/uploads/akhbar/2025-01-05/1268731_8759110_Newspost_akhbar.jpg)
%fmf jq3p@?|GZFlv B}Ӻ&S Ո;vK.nحDkZXam5pZ qp1qUy9 TJco!LK_l/G9K▻ Q0kD{ί2`AjɔMJ]
2v6=ɱx }k%&X<1(]qb=&NF%z=HQ_A+ 32F
+۩McmGHӉ|tn$lnŊp';rby:^w|e~ -WM0 80P(_ 7ev:GrjVzp5N9 IA-n ڴQZ}氿N #ˑpk*xaί5z.h~ =
;OAxΰN>T%Pń31|>j+ШN9\1 oTf@f3MS \FS| ͺf]ɷ-6(E[5|4츰?tń '9!^iz@(a4pgyhK١3t/ώNmnM$TZq|x@H#Ho-CʖG\ 8n-4p>dܿ, sg%ベ efeL|AΥ(j~ fE+$4 : _8
0.3ϯȂH$nT.[>\^/̬Ԁ {Ed^q G_R