Getty Yankees GM Brian Cashman could let Juan Soto walk next winter ... to the Mets.
We’re still waiting for several prominent MLB free agents to sign here as we get into the meat of spring training, but hey, it’s never too early to look ahead to what might happen in the next year or so. That’s because the biggest name eligible for free agency in 2025 is sure to actually get to the market, despite the fact that the player in question—Juan Soto—now plays for the Yankees.
Surely the Yankees would not allow Soto to hit the open market, right? Well, not historically, but general manager Brian Cashman has already made it clear that the Yankees won’t be locking up Soto before free agency. The Yankees brought in Soto as part of a seven-player blockbuster in December, also acquiring Gold Glove centerfielder Trent Grisham in the deal.
“I don’t see too many things stopping him from reaching free agency,” Cashman told reporters.
Regarding Juan Soto, Brian Cashman said that “the odds are this is a one-year situation” before Soto will become a free agent.
“I don’t see too many things stopping him from reaching free agency.”
Thus we have the possibility, as outlined in Bleacher Report this week, that the top contender to poach Soto after his year in pinstripes is the crosstown rival Mets, who figure to have ample cash to burn next offseason and would take special delight in moving Soto from the Bronx to Queens.
Yankees Could Keep Juan Soto, for a Big Price
Now, that does not rule out the Yankees from keeping Soto. The problem is, he is going to require a mega-deal to land next offseason, assuming he plays up to snuff this year.
Soto is expected to generate an annual salary of $34 million, and Spotrac projects him to warrant a (take a deep breath) 12-year, $408 million contract next winter. Bleacher Report has his value projected even higher: $520 million over 15 years.
At Bleacher Report, the Mets are the No. 1 team on a list titled, “Early Free-Agent Landing Spots for Yankees’ Juan Soto amid Mets Rumors.” Analyst Zachary Rymer wrote that there is logic behind the Mets rumors:
“If the Mets indeed decide they want to sign Soto next winter, it’ll be hard for anyone to outlast them in a bidding war. … The Mets are still projected to run a $315 million payroll. And with so many one-year deals on their books, their commitments will basically be cut in half when the season’s done.
“The Mets therefore shouldn’t have to choose between adding Soto and retaining Pete Alonso. If they want them both, they should be able to afford them both.”
Soto has the resume. He has made three straight All-Star appearances going back to his time in Washington and through last year in San Diego. He’s led the league in on-base percentage twice, and has a career OBP of .421. He was the batting champ in the shortened 2020 season, when he hit .351.
Oh, and he has averaged 26.7 home runs per year since he came into the big leagues at age 19. Soto is still only 25 years old.
Mets Poised to Build World Series Roster in 2025
The Juan Soto-Mets rumors are not new, either. Two days after the Yankees acquired him in the Padres trade, the New York Post’s baseball insider Jon Heyman speculated that the Mets could be gearing up for a pursuit of Soto.
“Can anyone else see the Mets going for slugging superstar Juan Soto as a free agent next winter? I’d put that as a definite maybe, at the very least,” Heyman wrote on December 8.
“The Mets weren’t in on Soto as a rental because, as we know by now, they are really shooting for a 2025 World Series.”
That notion got an update from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale this week, when he wrote that the Mets-Soto connection is much more than a “maybe.”
“The Mets are not only expected to strongly pursue, but could be among the favorites for outfielder Juan Soto when he’s a free agent next winter,” he wrote.
As for Soto, though, he’s a glad member of the Yankees in 2024, and 2025 be damned. For now.
“For me, I’m just focusing on ’24,” Soto said last month. “I’m here to play baseball. I’m focusing on playing this year and trying to win as much as we can and bring a championship to New York.”