Mets may have more than just money to convince Juan Soto to move to Queens

Whether the New York Mets are considered favorites to sign Juan Soto this offseason or not, they're certainly in a good position to get a deal done with the 26-year-old superstar. Mets owner Steve Cohen has a lot to do with that.

Cohen is the richest owner in the sport, and during his short tenure with New York, he's stopped at little to try and win. The Mets have had the highest luxury tax payroll in three of his four seasons with the organization, proving his dedication.

Cohen's wallet could be enough in itself to entice Soto to ditch the Bronx for Queens, but for the Mets to actually seal the deal, they'd likely have to offer more than just money that would make Soto willing to commit to spending the next decade of his life with the Mets. Andy Martino of SNY might've just mentioned something that the Mets have and the New York Yankees don't that has nothing to do with money in an appearance on Baseball Night in New York.

"There are some real advantages that I think that the Mets have that go beyond just money, which we know they have too. For example, continuity of what they're presenting to Soto... If you look at the difference between the Yankees and the Mets, and I do believe it's likely that one of those two teams is going to get Soto, the Mets leadership cycle, specifically I mean Steve Cohen, David Stearns, and Carlos Mendoza are in the beginning of that cycle. They're all pretty fresh on the job, they have job security, they're going to be in these jobs for a long time, so what they're telling Soto is likely to be what is the situation for the Mets for a long time to come."

Mets owner Steve Cohen, president of baseball operations David Stearns, and manager Carlos Mendoza are all pretty new to Queens and will be there for a long time, giving Soto a sense of stability.

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Mets ability to offer stability is something that the Yankees might not be able to match

The Mets' biggest competition in the race to sign Soto is undoubtedly the Yankees - the team Soto was on this past season. While Martino believes that the Mets key staff is in place for the next several years, he has his doubts that the Yankees can offer the same kind of stability.

"Brian Cashman, I've reported this before on this show and it was in the book that we talked about on the show that I reported, he's possibly going to be looking to move on at some point and transition to another leadership team... None of this is certain, but that raises questions for the incoming free agent of who's going to be running this team that I signed up for? Is it going to be like it is today? Are the presentations that I'm hearing from these groups going to be what it's going to be like in four years, six years, seven years, eight years? And I think the Mets are in a better position to say what we tell you today is what you're going to experience."

While the Mets seem set for the next half-decade at least with Cohen, Stearns, and Mendoza, the Yankees lack much stability at all beyond owner Hal Steinbrenner.

Martino already mentioned the possibility of Cashman departing sometime soon, and it's not as if Aaron Boone's job is fully secure. He's lasted in the dugout for a while, but is currently set to be a free agent after the 2025 season (if an extension is not signed), and his seat seems to get hotter every year that sees the Yankees fall short of winning the World Series. What Soto hears in his meetings with the Yankees might not be what ends up happening in the coming years, which can be a concern for a player who is going to sign at least a decade-long deal with a team.

Other factors are sure to be considered as well, but the fact that the Mets can offer Soto the opportunity to join a team that just made it to the NLCS in the New York market with stability that the Yankees likely can't match has to be appealing. The Mets having more than just money to offer Soto might make them favorites to get a deal done.