It was the story of the New York Mets and New York Yankees’ two offseasons leading up to 2024. While the Yankees garnered greater media attention, the Mets made a number of lesser-known acquisitions. However, baseball fans anticipate that they will participate in an expensive bidding war for outfielder Juan Soto the next winter.
On February 18, Andy Martino of SNY released a report on that possibilities. Martino acknowledged that it’s too soon to provide any solid information about Soto’s possible free-agent status. “There really isn’t any reason why the Mets wouldn’t make a push for Soto,” he added.
According to Martino, a league executive acquainted with Steve Cohen, the owner of the Mets, New York is likely to pursue Soto and re-sign Pete Alonso, the first baseman.
The Yankees acquired Soto in a seven-player trade with the San Diego Padres, making it one of the biggest splashes of the winter. According to Spotrac, the 25-year-old will make $31 million in the Bronx this season.
How likely is it that Soto will sign a long-term contract extension? Brian Cashman, general manager of the Yankees, knows it’s not likely. According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Cashman stated on February 16 that “we recognized when we went into this situation that the odds are that it’s a one-year situation before free agency.” That might change, of course, but the chances are not in favor of it. He’s on the verge of having free will. Not many factors, in my opinion, will prevent him from becoming a free agent.
What Sort of Agreement Is Soto Seeking?
In 2022, Soto received a 15-year, $440 million deal from the Washington Nationals to remain in Washington, DC. After that was turned down, the Nats dealt him to the Padres. More than that, the Scott Boras customer will probably be looking for a pay day, but how much more?
In December 2022, Jeff Passan of ESPN stated that Soto and Shohei Ohtani were “primed” to be the first players in MLB history to earn $500 million. This winter, Ohtani fulfilled his pledge to the Los Angeles Dodgers by agreeing to a 10-year, $700 million contract.
Back in December, Tim Britton of The Athletic attempted to estimate what Soto’s next contract may include. Britton rated the first five years at $50 million per season based on the outfielder’s recent performance. Subsequently, $32 million was added annually for the next nine years, making the total estimated worth of his projection $540 million over 14 years.
The Yankees-Mets Bidding War of the Steve Cohen Era Would Begin Here.
Cohen officially assumed control of the Mets in November 2020, but his team hasn’t openly challenged the Yankees for premier players since. After 2022, outfielder Aaron Judge would have made sense for the Mets to target, but they didn’t go after the right-handed hitter hard.
And earlier this winter, there was the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes. Before the pitcher selected Los Angeles, the Mets were one of the three finalists, along with the Yankees and Dodgers. Martino asserted that the Mets were aware that “they were longshot underdogs” by November.
This will be the first time Cohen and Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner genuinely go head-to-head for a high-priced talent if the Mets make a serious run at Soto. The outfielder’s 2024 Bronx stay offers the Bombers an advantage by default. particularly if they fulfill the expectations of certain projections.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how this looming battle plays out over the next months.