A new report claims that while the New York Mets were not big spenders this offseason, they are not only expected to strongly pursue the top player available after the season but are seen as favorites to land him.
There’s no other way to say it than this was a disappointing offseason for the Mets. Yes, they made a strong push for Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but all reports suggest they we still behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees in the race. Aside from that, the moves they made in the offseason were fairly underwhelming.
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Making it all the more frustrating for fans of the Amazin’s is that they also are still in no rush to re-sign homegrown All-Star Pete Alonso and could lose him in free agency next winter. However, while they were conservative with their spending this offseason, a new report claims they will be going hard for the top player in next year’s free agent market, Juan Soto.
New York Mets news: Juan Soto expected to be a top target in 2024 free agency
During a recent column, USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale made a bold claim about the Mets’ potential pursuit of the All-Star outfielder who is set to play for the Yankees this season.
“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,” Nightengale wrote.
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New York’s 2024 payroll will be over $283 million since they are still paying much of the money left on the contracts for traded aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. However, that money and contracts for other players will come off the books after this season and their payroll obligation for 2025 will fall all the way to $155 million (via Spotrac).
However, the Yankees are likely to do everything needed to hold on to the star outfielder and if the team were to win a World Series or come close, that could be very persuasive for the 25-year-old. Soto is expected to hit free agency after the season and could land a deal north of $400 million.
