Mets next post-Juan Soto splash could make Yankees fans even angrier

After much anticipation, Juan Soto made his decision this past Sunday. Soto officially picked the New York Mets as his new team, signing a 15-year, $765 million contract, officially the richest in all of professional sports. The expectation was that Mets owner Steve Cohen would flex his bank account and put himself over the top of his competition for Soto. That included the Yankees, who traded five players for him last offseason, and saw Soto play a pivotal role in the team making it to the World Series for the first time since 2009. Even though the Yankees offered a $760 million deal over 16 years, Soto chose to sign with the Mets.

The Yankees did pivot to try and bolster their roster. They signed former Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract and traded for Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams. The Yankees are far from done, as they are linked to other players, whether it's free agency or the trade block.

Recent reports indicated that the Yankees were interested in Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. The fit does make sense, as the Yankees could place Bregman at third while shifting Jazz Chisholm to second base to fill the void left by Gleyber Torres. Well, as it turns out, the Mets are also in on Bregman.

According to Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 in Houston, the Mets are among the Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Astros as teams with "continued interest in Bregman." Additionally, Alexander says that these four teams are "the strong four," according to one source.

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Mets reportedly interested in Yankees target Alex Bregman

Could we have another New York bidding war on our hands?

The Mets have a glaring void at first base, as Pete Alonso is currently a free agent. As of this writing, there hasn't been much movement on the first base market, other than the Mets are open to bringing him back. But if the Mets were to move on from Alonso, they could shift Mark Vientos over from third base to first. Vientos showcased what he can bring to the Mets in the batter's box this past season, especially in the postseason, but he does bring flexibility with his experience playing first. If that was the path that team owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns wanted to go in, that would open the door for Bregman.

Bregman is coming off of a 2024 season in which he recorded a .260 batting average, a .315 on-base percentage, a .453 slugging percentage, 26 home runs, 75 RBI, 79 runs, and 151 hits in 581 at-bats (145 games).

The Astros recently offered Bregman a six-year, $156 million contract and traded away Kyle Tucker for three players, including Isaac Paredes, who plays third base. So, it's entirely possible that Bregman could choose to sign elsewhere on a long-term deal. The Yankees make sense as a landing spot given their need for a third baseman. But could the Mets and Cohen make yet another splash at the expense of the Yankees to both fill a void in the infield and add another bat behind Soto in the lineup? Bregman certainly fits the bill.