The start of MLB free agency has come with the spotlight on Juan Soto, with swirling MLB rumors and news about his free-agent visits and the early favorites to land him. While a decision isn’t imminent, there do appear to be developments in the pursuit of the perennial MVP candidate.
Soto, who just turned 26 years old in October, is fresh off an MVP-caliber season that saw him play an integral role in helping the New York Yankees get back to the World Series. While New York ultimately fell short, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, Soto played well and further strengthened his free-agent stock.
- Juan Soto stats (ESPN):Â .288/.419/.569, .989 OPS, 41 home runs, 109 RBI, 31 doubles
Related: MLB insider reveals New York Yankees ‘Plan B’ if Juan Soto leaves
Following the World Series loss to Los Angeles, MLB news has emerged on Soto’s free-agent meetings with the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s also drawn interest from the San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies.
However, considering his contributions to the Yankees lineup and what the front office gave up to acquire him last offseason, many viewed New York as the strong favorite to re-sign Soto. It now appears this race might be more wide-open than believed.
Related: Insider reveals dark-horse team that could steal Juan Soto
The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman spoke to executives around MLB regarding Soto’s potential landing spot. Following team owner Steve Cohen’s meeting with Soto, many around baseball believe the Mets have an “honest-to-goodness chance” now to poach Soto from the Yankees.
“It seems like [it’ll be] the Mets — they’re an ascending team and have money.”
Anonymous MLB executive on which team will sign Juan Soto
Related: MLB execs think New York Mets take surprise approach to free agency
- New York Mets payroll 2025 (FanGraphs): $162 million
Signing Soto would mean making him one of the highest paid MLB players ever with a salary that would likely add $50-plus million to the Mets payroll every year for the next decade-plus. However, New York has more financial flexibility right now than the likes of the Dodgers, Phillies and Yankees.
Soto would get to be the star of the Mets lineup while staying on the East Coast. While signing him would mean losing first baseman Pete Alonso, New York has plenty of alternatives it can pursue at first base or third base. Landing Soto would be the biggest move ever under Cohen and give the Mets a new face of the franchise who could play at an All-Star level for the next 10 years.
