It will take a lot of zeros to convince Juan Soto to sign on the dotted line this winter.

“The industry consensus is that the floor on his contract will be $500 million,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Passan, citing both his age and skill for the logic behind that number.

While most players hit free agency at some point around age 29 or 30, Soto just turned 26 last Friday and celebrated his birthday by taking the field for Game 1 of the World Series.

That means the team that signs Soto will have to pay for at least three additional seasons compared to the average free agent, and that's because Soto made his debut when he was just 19 years old and his release clock was much earlier has set the most in motion.

What does all this mean for its price?

It's likely a minimum 10-year contract and could even grow to 15 years if that level of security is what Soto is seeking this winter.

He reportedly turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension offer from the Washington Nationals in 2022, and he hasn't done anything in the years since to justify a drop in his salary expectations, so he'll aim higher set.

The 10-year, $700 million contract Shohei Ohtani signed last offseason has a current value of around $460 million, including all deferred funds, and that could also be a number Soto wants to surpass .

A few weeks ago, I predicted a 15-year, $600 million contract in an article identifying the top candidates to join baseball's $100 million club this offseason, and that could be the limit for his earning potential.

Those are the kind of numbers to expect this winter for a player who hit .288/.419/.569 for a 178 OPS+ with 31 doubles, 41 home runs, 109 RBI and 7.9 WAR in 157 games in his first season in Yankee pinstripes.

Who would be willing to pay this high price?