The New York Yankees will have to fight off the best teams and biggest spenders in MLB if they hope to hold onto star player Juan Soto.
Perhaps chief among those contenders are the crosstown rival New York Mets. Carlos Beltran, a nine-time All-Star selection and former member of both the Yankees and Mets during his playing career, joined the Mets’ front office in 2023.
During an interview with Puerto Rican publication “Primera Hora” on Wednesday, November 13, Beltran said that the Mets intend to go “full blast” after Soto in free agency.
“The Mets want to improve the team and there is no doubt that they will go after all the players that are on the open market knowing that the piece that everyone wants is Juan Soto,” Beltran said, per a translation from the Spanish-language newspaper into English by Tim Capurso of ON SI. “And the Mets [will] not rule out going full blast after him.”
Latest Juan Soto Salary Projections Top $700 Million, Shohei Ohtani’s Deal With Dodgers
GettyNew York Yankees slugger Juan Soto.
Soto didn’t mention specific numbers, though it is well known across the league that he could command upwards (or possibly even more than) $700 million on his next contract.
David Brown of Field Level Media predicted on Thursday that Soto’s new deal will eclipse the $700 million mark, and that it will be the Mets who pay him that amount.
“Soto set himself up for the biggest payday in MLB history after batting .288 with a .419 on-base percentage and .569 slugging for the Yankees in 2024,” Brown said. “And Soto didn’t even turn 26 until October, when he helped lead the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009. Even if he doesn’t eclipse $700 million, the value of his contract almost certainly will exceed Shohei Ohtani’s heavily deferred deal.”
Brown’s final prediction included $702 million for Soto over 13 years to remain in New York, but to travel across town from the Bronx to Queens and take up residence at Citi Field.
Mets May Be Top Free Agent Destination in MLB This Offseason
GettyNew York Mets star Francisco Lindor (left) standing next to New York Yankees star Juan Soto (right) during an MLB game in 2024.
Soto added 41 homers, 109 runs batted in, scored 128 times during the season and drew 129 walks, per Baseball Reference. The slugger would be a massive addition to the Mets’ lineup, whether the team brings back all of its top pending free agents or not.
Beyond that, some analysts are making the argument that the Mets offer the better team and better situation to all free agents this offseason, Soto included. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report ranked the Mets as the league’s top destination in all of MLB Wednesday.
“Two years after winning 101 games, the Mets shook off a slow start to 2024 to win an MLB-high 61 games after Grimace honored Citi Field with a first pitch on June 12. Even though they didn’t make it to the World Series, they were arguably New York’s best team this year,” Rymer wrote. “Pete Alonso, Sean Manaea, Luis Severino [and] Jose Quintana are free agents, but there’s no reason they can’t be re-signed or replaced. And while the Mets’ farm system took its lumps this year, it has rebound potential for 2025 if Jett Williams and Ronny Mauricio are healthy.”
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