However, once the Yankees’ run is over, it will become the most pressing issue in baseball. That’s because Juan Soto, the star the Yankees acquired from San Diego last winter, will be available, and the Yankees will be under pressure to keep him.
There will be competition, and everyone knows where the most of it will come from: the Mets, who have long wanted Soto and attempted to trade him while he was in Washington.
Tyler Ward of Bleacher Report predicts that the Mets will eventually outbid the Yankees for Soto. He stated, “Juan Soto is going to be a New York Metropolitan.”
Juan Soto has been terrific this season.
Soto has been a standout for the Yankees this season, hitting.310 with 28 home runs and a career-best OPS of 1.035. He has blended in well with the clubhouse and has provided a boost of enthusiasm following the Yankees’ lacklustre performance last season.
It would be devastating for the Yankees to lose him. But the Mets may be able to outbid the Bombers this winter. It will not be cheap—half of MLB executives polled by ESPN in June expected Soto to earn between $500 and $600 million.
“If you don’t think that the Mets are going to be unbelievably, heavily involved in that market, I’ve got a bridge to sell you,” Ward joked. “The Mets have targeted Juan Soto since his time with the Washington Nationals. The Mets proposed a package featuring some of their major young assets, but Mike Rizzo of the Nationals declined. Juan Soto has long been a Mets target; he thrives at Citi Field and adores New York, as evidenced by his current performance with the Bronx Bombers.
“Unless the Yankees win everything this season…” I don’t believe (Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner) will go to the lengths or spend the money that Steve Cohen will.”
The Mets could outbid the Yankees
Of course, rumours regarding Soto and the Mets have been circulating since the spring, when it became evident that Soto would not sign a contract extension with the Yankees and would instead enter free agency. To acquire Soto and Trent Grisham, the Yankees traded Jhony Brito, Kyle Higashioka, Michael King, Drew Thorpe, and Randy Vásquez.
Losing him and receiving nothing in return would be horrible.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated in March that the Mets could sign Soto. He added, “Folks around the league are thinking that after a year of practical free-agent vacation, Steve Cohen’s Mets may become the most serious challenger for Soto’s services. (I first mentioned this possibility on December 7, and the rumours are getting louder, so it’s worth repeating.)”
Rumours have spread. Soto seemed to have loved his time with the Yankees, so it stands to reason that keeping him would be advantageous. Will they pay as much as the Mets?
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