When a marquee superstar is close to hitting free agency in Major League Baseball, it can be hard not to look ahead to the winter.
In the winter of 2023, then-Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani dominated the news cycle, sparking rampant speculation about his whereabouts before eventually deciding to sign across town with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Well, get ready for another frenzy in 2024, because the pursuit of 25-year-old New York Yankees superstar Juan Soto is expected to be hotly contested. And unlike last season, the New York Mets could be power players in this year’s sweepstakes.
With a World Series ring, four All-Star appearances, and the best career on-base percentage by a lefty since Barry Bonds, Soto would have any team interested his services. According to an MLB insider, the money will be a huge factor in Soto’s decision.
In ranking his Top 50 impending free agents, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported that the Mets were “expected” to make a push to sign Soto, whose contract is likely to total over $ 500 million.
“(Soto) appears headed for a top-five finish in the American League MVP voting,” Bowden said. “He’s likely to sign a contract of more than half a billion dollars and both New York teams are expected to bid for his services.”
No free agent has hit the market with such a strong resume at such a young age. Soto, who turns 26 in October, has a .955 career OPS, 190 home runs, and 35.4 wins above replacement. He also has four top-10 MVP finishes and will likely add a fifth in 2024.
The Yankees, who traded a package of five players for Soto in December, are expected to go all-out in their pursuit to re-sign him. But the Mets, who have been huge spenders under the ownership of Steve Cohen, could match any hypothetical dollar amount.
The Mets already have the highest payroll in MLB this season, but a solid chunk of money is set to come off their books. In addition to impending free agent Pete Alonso, the Mets are also paying a chunk of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander’s 2024 salaries.
In the end, it comes down to which teams meet Soto’s demands and where the young superstar wants to be. If the two New York teams make the best offers, the deciding factor could be Soto’s outlook on the two teams’ futures.
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