Inside The Mets

Insider Explains Why Mets Are 'Clear-Cut Favorite' to Win Juan Soto Sweepstakes

An MLB insider conveyed why New York Mets fans should be feeling good about Juan Soto's free agency.

Grant Young

Jul 24, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) flips his bat after hitting a solo home run against the New York Mets during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jul 24, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) flips his bat after hitting a solo home run against the New York Mets during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets have made it exceedingly clear that they're going to make signing superstar slugger Juan Soto their top priority this offseason.

Of course, the Mets aren't alone in wanting to secure one of baseball's best hitters to a long-term deal this winter. But in a November 25 article, USA Today's MLB insider Bob Nightengale conveyed why Mets fans have got to be feeling good about their chances of doing so.

"Owners and general managers are convinced that Soto will sign his mega-contract perhaps no later than the conclusion of the winter meetings. This won’t be a repeat case of 2019 when Bryce Harper and Manny Machado patiently waited until their markets blossomed in spring training, or last winter when the money that was there in December evaporated in February," Nightengale wrote.

"There really are only four teams that are seriously in play for Soto: The Mets, the Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox.

"The Mets are the clear-cut favorite, executives say, simply because they don’t believe there’s a soul who will outbid owner Steve Cohen, while Yankees have a price in mind that they don’t want to exceed," Nightengale added.

"The Blue Jays could be the sleeper, but with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette eligible for free agency in a year, Toronto would have to dramatically beat the Mets' offer to have a prayer."

It's no secret that Steve Cohen has the deepest pockets of any MLB owner. And if he and David Stearns both believe that signing Soto is the absolute best use of that money, they'll likely spare no expense in ensuring that Soto becomes the next King of Queens.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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