Mets Reportedly Among Teams to Make Offer to Juan Soto; What's Next?

The New York Mets are reportedly among several teams that have made an offer to superstar Juan Soto in free agency. What comes next?

Oct 29, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after a strike out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning during game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Slowly but surely, we have officially reached the next stage of the Juan Soto sweepstakes.

The New York Mets are among the five teams who have made a contract offer to Soto so far in his free agency. The other four clubs include the cross-town rival New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media was the first to report on this news and MLB Network insider Jon Morosi also confirmed.

While the details of said offers are currently unknown, this is only the preliminary phase in the process where genuine interest is being gauged from all parties involved, according to The Athletic's Brendan Kuty. As Kuty reported, the expectation is that there will be multiple rounds of offers to Soto in the next few weeks, which will narrow down suitors.

The belief is that Soto could sign with a team by or during MLB's annual Winter Meetings, which begin on December 9 in Dallas.

Soto is believed to be seeking a historic long-term contract that will exceed $600 million and could even match or surpass Shohei Ohtani's record-setting $700 million deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers last year. While Ohtani had $680 million of his 10-year deal deferred, Soto is not expected to take the same route.

At this point in time, the Mets and Yankees are viewed as the top two teams that are positioned to land Soto's services. The Mets are currently considered to be the "clear-cut favorite" among rival executives, as reported by MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.

The Mets are backed by the deep pockets of billionaire owner Steve Cohen, which gives them a strong chance to lure Soto to Queens. That being said, Soto went to the World Series in his first season with the Yankees in 2024, and could form a long-term partnership with MVP winner Aaron Judge if he chooses to go back to the Bronx.

Things should only continue to heat up in the Soto sweepstakes in the coming weeks as he and agent Scott Boras field more serious offers and further negotiate with interested teams.