The bidding war between New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen regarding the services of Juan Soto should soon heat up.
During a Wednesday Bleacher Report stream, MLB insider Jon Heyman named one of those clubs the favorite to sign the All-Star outfielder.
“As we sit here today, I’d make the favorite the Mets,” Heyman said, as shared by Matthew Moreno of Dodger Blue. “Because Steve Cohen is there. I think they had a very good meeting. I think Soto probably believes long-term they’re going to be in great shape. …Me, if I had to pick a favorite right now, I might say Mets.”
Cohen is the richest owner in MLB, has a team president of baseball operations who recently assembled a squad capable of completing a trip to the National League Championship Series in David Stearns and reportedly will “go full blast” to sign Soto. While Steinbrenner insisted on Wednesday that the Yankees have “the ability to sign any player we want to sign,” some doubt he will come close to matching the offer Cohen presents the 26-year-old.
“My gut says Hal Steinbrenner is already preparing for Soto’s defection into the Mets’ loving embrace,” Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media wrote for a piece published Thursday morning. “The slugger will stay in New York, help a top-notch team and pull down a $600M+ contract. It just won’t be in the Bronx.”
During his update, Heyman mentioned that the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox cannot be ruled out among potential landing spots for Soto. Per Michael Silverman of The Boston Globe, Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said on Wednesday that Boston adding Soto’s next contract to its payroll is “possible” because the Red Sox “are investing more than we did last year.”
With that said, Yankees announcer Michael Kay revealed earlier this week that he heard Cohen “is willing to go $50M over whatever anybody offers” for Soto. Soto reportedly prefers to stay on the East Coast, and the Mets have the need for such a slugger along with the market and location that would allow a generational player to build a long-lasting legacy.
Until a contract is signed, Cohen and Stearns will still have some work to do as it pertains to convincing Soto to play home games in Queens through the remainder of his prime. At this point, Cohen may face some difficult questions from his fan base if Soto ultimately rejects the Mets for any reason.
