Getty New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is willing to spend big on premier free agents
The New York Mets are hampered by major financial commitments to players who are no longer on the roster, including more than $30 million for Max Scherzer and $25 million for Justin Verlander.
But once those financial burdens are relieved, ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney revealed that the Mets plan to pursue the most talented projected free agent on the market.
“The most interesting thing heard at Mets’ camp yesterday — and it’s not surprising, given that Scherzer contract (and others) will melt off their payroll next winter — is that they fully intend to take a run at Juan Soto next winter,” Olney reported.
Olney added that the report from Mets camp is noteworthy as it suggests the team is focused on returning to the playoffs in the near future: “You have a handful of tanking teams that would never consider taking on his salary,” he wrote.
Soto, who was traded to the New York Yankees this offseason, is widely expected to earn the second-largest contract in MLB history for the 2025 season and beyond. The Athletic’s Tim Britton projects Soto’s next contract to hit 14 years at $540 million.
Why the New York Mets Could Be a Good Fit for Juan Soto
In six big-league seasons, the 25-year-old Soto has proven himself to be one of the greatest hitters in recent MLB history.
He sports a career .284/.421/.521 slash line and could be getting better with age, slugging a career-best 35 homers, racking up a near-career-best 109 RBI and drawing an MLB-leading 132 walks in 2023. He holds four Silver Slugger Awards, two All-MLB first team nods and three All-Star nods. He won the postseason’s most valuable player award as his Washington Nationals won the 2019 World Series Championship.
All told, it’s clear why any contending team would seek to add Soto to their roster if he becomes available. But the Mets project to be particularly eager to spend after largely sitting this offseason out.
“The Mets and their deep-pocketed owner, Steve Cohen, largely avoided the top of this offseason’s free-agent class outside of a failed attempt to sign Japanese ace Yoshibonu Yamamoto,” Peter Sblendorio reported for the New York Daily News. “Next offseason figures to be different for the Mets.”
Additionally, the Mets are likely to lose the best hitter currently on their roster in the same free agent class as Soto is poised to join.
“The Mets also have an in-house slugger set to hit free agency,” Bridget Hyland noted for NJ.com. “Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said before spring training that the ‘most likely outcome’ is for Pete Alonso to hit the open market.”
The New York Mets Could Face a Bidding War With the New York Yankees to Sign Juan Soto
Among the teams likely to compete with the Mets for Soto’s services in 2025 is his current team and cross-town rival Yankees.
“A Mets push for Soto could create a bidding war between the New York clubs, as the Yankees are also expected to try re-sign the slugger after trading five players, including prized pitchers Michael King and Drew Thorpe, to acquire him and fellow outfielder Trent Grisham,” Sblendorio added.