Steve Cohen wanted the Juan Soto in Queens at all costs. The 26-year-old phenom inked a massive 15-year, $765-million contract with his new team. The assumption that Soto only signed with the New York Mets because of the money was put to rest by Soto himself. The four-time All-Star implied another team offered more dollars than Cohen and the Mets offered in a recent interview on the “Abriendo Podcast.”
The Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Yankees were the top teams contending for Soto. We know the Yankees capped their offer at $760M, so we can eliminate them as the mystery team. That leaves Boston, Los Angeles, and Toronto.
You can make a case for either of those three teams being the team that offered more. The Blue Jays have been swinging for the fences on top stars, the Dodgers usually land all the top stars, and the Red Sox have money to spend.
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Why did Juan Soto choose the Mets?
To think the money and suites didn’t come into play with signing Soto would be foolish. Nevertheless, he expressed his buy-in to the Mets’ future in his initial press conference. With New York finishing two wins shy of a World Series appearance, their organization proved they’re heading in the right direction.
With Soto and Francisco Lindor, the Mets now have two MVP-caliber players for years. Adding to that, Mark Vientos, who emerged as a budding star in 2024, is under team control until 2029. Mets President of Baseball Operations, David Stearns, has focused on building up pitching during his tenure. With the young studs in the lineup and their top pitching prospects, they have the makeup to be contenders year in and year out.
Although money played a pivotal role in Soto’s negotiations with the Mets, the future of their organization must’ve played a more substantial role than we thought. The mix of Cohen and Stearns is intriguing. An elite baseball mind with a powerful owner could set them up for being perennial contenders. With Soto now in orange and blue for years to come alongside Lindor, New York’s goal of winning a World Series shouldn’t be too far away from being achieved.