Ex-Mets star says team will go 'full blast' in pursuit of superstar Juan Soto

At this point in free agency, every team is trying to convince fans — and themselves, to an extent — they have a real shot at signing superstar Juan Soto. The New York Mets appear to be one of the teams that actually does have a shot at the privilege of paying Soto a boatload of money over the next decade-plus.

Owner Steve Cohen is allegedly worth about $21 billion after all, so the team definitely has the funds. That's far too much money for one person to have, but I digress — the Mets are squarely in the running for Soto, and Carlos Beltran let fans know the Mets aren't just in the running for aesthetic purposes, they really want Soto and think they can get the job done.

Beltran has been a "special assistant" to David Stearns — the Mets president of baseball operations — since 2023, and made clear the Mets want Soto, and want him badly. "...The piece thewhole world wants is Juan Soto, and the Mets won’t hesitate to go after him full blast," Beltransaid on Wednesday.

Listen, we know Beltran cares about winning — he helped the Astros bang on trash cans to steal signs, after all — but what exactly "full blast" means isn't exactly clear yet. Does it mean $700 million? If the Mets want to steal Soto from their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees, it might have to. Soto's price tag for a contract is basically whatever he wants, so full blast for the Mets should mean, in essence, a blank check.

Soto's free agency might be a slow burn

Right now, the Soto free agency saga doesn't feel like it's moving particularly quickly. We can't blame Soto for that, either. The guy is likely to sign a contract longer than 10 years, and that's not a decision anyone should make without being 100 percent sure.

Whoever does end up with Soto will immediately be happy with their decision, though. The total price tag is going to drop some jaws, but as soon as he gets back on the field, fans will remember why Soto commanded such a lucrative market in the first place. He's a generational talent at the plate and can shift World Series odds by himself.