Juan Soto could be staying in New York — but just not with the same team.
The New York Mets are the “clear-cut favorite” to land the free agent. That’s what MLB executives are saying, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The New York Yankees, however, aren’t out of the mix. Nightengale lists them — along with the Mets, the Boston Red Sox, and the Toronto Blue Jays — as the “only four teams that are seriously in play for Soto.”
Why the Mets Have the Advantage
But what the Mets have — and the other teams don’t — is an owner seemingly willing to pay whatever it takes to land Soto.
Nightengale says MLB front offices “don’t believe there’s a soul who will outbid” Mets owner Steve Cohen.
That aligns not just with Cohen’s behavior with other free agents — but also with what other informed sources have said in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said he heard Cohen is willing to go $50 million above any other offer for Soto.
How High Can the Yankees Go?
So, are the Yankees willing to get into a bidding war with the Mets? Nightengale says the Yankees have what might amount to a cap on what they’re willing to pay Soto.
But then again team owner Hal Steinbrenner has recently signaled that he’s willing to go the extra mile to secure Soto — much as he did with Aaron Judge in 2022.
At the start of the 2024 season, Steinbrenner complained that a $300 million payroll was “simply not sustainable.” But he now says, “We’ve got the ability to sign any player that we would like to sign.”
Pressure from the fan base and expectations set by team captain Judge are probably making Steinbrenner more pragmatic. However, he is also likely wary of falling victim to Soto agent Scott Boras, who seeks to trigger a bidding war for his client and get him a $700 million deal.
So there may in fact be a ceiling to what the Yankees can pay for Soto. After all, Hal Steinbrenner, whose net worth is around $1.5 billion, may be rich — but he’s not Steve Cohen rich.
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