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Amid rumblings that Juan Soto could make his free-agent decision at some point this week, the New York Mets are emerging as a favorite to sign the All-Star slugger.
Per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, the sense is that Mets owner Steve Cohen “will top any offer” that Soto receives from another club in an effort to ensure he plays in Queens.
In the same article, Kiley McDaniel noted the belief around MLB is the Mets “won’t let money be the reason for not landing Soto” in the way that it could be for the New York Yankees.
“The Yankees got (Aaron) Judge to return by basically matching or coming very close to matching other offers, but it’s unclear what the Yankees will do if the Mets blow their offer out of the water,” McDaniel wrote.
There is a growing sentiment that the Mets will be Soto’s ultimate landing spot if his goal is to take the biggest offer.
The projections for Soto’s contract are exceeding even the already-high initial estimates that came out when free agency began.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Buster Olney noted on Thursday there’s a distinct possibility his deal could end up being worth more than the 10-year, $700 million contract Shohei Ohtani got from the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason.
Cohen and the Mets could have competition from an AL East club that’s not the Yankees for Soto. SNY’s Andy Martino reported on Sunday there’s a “widespread belief” that the Toronto Blue Jays will make the highest offer for the four-time All-Star.
This comes a year after the Blue Jays aggressively pursued Ohtani and were willing to give him the same deal he wound up taking from the Dodgers.
The Yankees’ place in this whole situation is hard to figure out. They certainly need Soto, as every team does, but team owner Hal Steinbrenner said in May that their payroll was “simply not sustainable for us financially.”
Steinbrenner spent $371.8 million in payroll and tax payments last season. The Yankees are currently projected to be slightly under the $241 million competitive balance tax in 2025, but that doesn’t account for any potential moves they might make in free agency.
Soto’s contract would significantly push the Yankees past that threshold. They also need to find somebody who can play first base and either second or third base, depending on where they want to use Jazz Chisholm Jr.
If the Yankees decide they will only go so far to keep Soto, Cohen will almost certainly jump at the opportunity to keep him in New York wearing a blue and orange uniform.
