Yankees final offer for Juan Soto was painfully close to Mets, but not good enough

The New York Yankees have unlimited resources at their disposal, but at a certain point, even they must back away from the negotiating table. Hal Steinbrenner gave his best and final offer, and it fell just short of enough to keep Soto in the Bronx.

Per Jon Heyman, the Mets have signed Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract that includes bonuses. Said deal can reach higher than $800 million should Soto hit those escalators. Basically, the Mets offered Soto everything but a stake in the franchise.

Soto is a future Hall of Famer, and at age 26 is one of the most polished hitters in baseball history – yes, I said it. The Mets made him the richest player in baseball history, and he deserves every penny. However, the Yankees are built differently. No one player is bigger than the brand, and Brian Cashman could very well use the money offered to Soto to add two-to-three impact players who can help the Yankees win a pennant or more next season.

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Yankees came painfully short in final contract offer to Juan Soto

I can write all of this while also admitting the Yankees tried very hard to sign Soto. Heck, their final offer fell just a bit short of the Mets godfather contract. Per Heyman, the Yankees offered 16 years and $760 million. Soto went with the higher AAV and one less year of security. Heck, 15 years from now Soto will be retired or very close to it anyway.

It was always going to come down to a battle between the Yankees and Mets for Soto. Just last winter, this looming war was painted as winning vs. money, as if Soto would have to choose between the two. However, the Mets made the NLCS just two months ago, losing to the World Series champion Dodgers in six games. The Yankees made it just one step further, securing a pennant with Soto in the lineup.

By picking the Mets, Soto gets the best of both worlds. As for the Yankees, there is no participation trophy in MLB free agency.