Mets Juan Soto splurge is already impacting their future spending

The New York Mets got the best free agent of this winter in Juan Soto. After spending one season with the Yankees, Soto chose to join the Mets in Queens after signing a 15-year, $765 million contract. The expectation was that Soto's deal could go over $600 million, so cracking $700 million was a bit of a shock, but the Mets blew away the competition by going over the top to ensure one of the best hitters of this generation joins them.

With Soto on the team, fans are trying their best to patiently wait for future signings and trades by team president David Stearns. Given that Soto is on board, this is an obvious win-now situation for the Mets. Yet, there hasn't been much movement since last Sunday. So, what's the holdup.

The Athletic's Will Sammon said that people familiar with the Mets' thinking is that the team will go with an "aggressively but smart" approach to fill out needs on the roster. Sammon says that this could suggest that while the team will look at top talent, they don't want to be tied to another long contract. That may mean, per Sammon, that they prefer to sign the likes of Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea to short-term deals.

"That might mean the Mets prefer homegrown star Pete Alonso to return on a shorter deal rather than conceding entirely if Alonso’s desired figures run on the long end," writes Sammon. "That might mean a reluctance to go five years, possibly even four years, for Sean Manaea, a pitcher they’d like to re-sign. And it might mean wanting Walker Buehler, someone who’d fit in well with them, for something like a one-year deal with an option rather than a straight multiyear pact."

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Juan Soto contract seemingly has Mets altering free agency plans

Alonso and Manaea do make sense as options for the Mets to re-sign. After all, they do have huge voids at first base and the top of the starting rotations. But as of now, things have paused around the league after the Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas.

In regards to Alonso, the first base market has barely moved this winter. Alonso and fellow top option at the position, Christian Walker, are both still on the market. Both Stearns and team owner Steve Cohen have expressed interest in reuniting with Alonso. The thing is, will both teams be able to reach an agreement on a deal? Or will another team make a better offer?

As for Manaea, he is a prime example of Stearns' strategy of bringing in lower-tier starting pitching options on short-term deals and trusting the coaching staff to get the most out of them, particularly Jeremy Hefner. Last year paid off for both Manaea and Luis Severino. Manaea, the former Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres starter, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, where he recorded a 3.47 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, a 12-6 win-loss record, 184 strikeouts, and 63 walks in 181.2 innings (32 starts).

While the Mets are taking similar gambles with Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes (from closer to starter), there is still a need for starting pitching. Sammon mentions Walker Buehler as an option on a one-year deal and an option instead of a multi-year contract. Buehler had a shaky season returning from Tommy John and flexor tendon surgery, but does present upside. Spotrac currently projects Buehler to have a market value of $3.9 million over one year.

Yes, the Mets handed the richest contract in professional sports history to Soto, but that doesn't mean they are going to follow that up with additional long-term contracts. Instead, they might explore their options at the top of the market to see if they can bring in players on shorter deals.