New York Mets

It's a good thing Juan Soto has $765 million coming to his bank account from the New York Mets because that will make it easier for him to get the No. 22 jersey from new teammate Brett Baty if he wants to keep using the number.

Per Christian Arnold of the New York Post, Soto would first need to work out a deal with Baty to be able to wear 22 with the Mets.

Even if that ends up happening, Soto would then need to purchase the existing merchandise inventory with Baty's name and number on it, per a rule in the collective bargaining agreement.

The rule stipulates that player number changes must be requested by July 31 of the previous season, but there are two possible exceptions available. One is the already-listed method of purchasing the remaining inventory.

The other is if the player who previously wore the number changes teams, which doesn't apply in this situation since Baty is still on the Mets.

The situation arose last year when Carlos Santana signed with the Minnesota Twins and had a deal with Joe Ryan to wear No. 41. MLB informed Santana he would have to pay $225,000 to buy out the remaining No. 41 merchandise with Ryan's name on it.

Santana instead decided to wear No. 30 with the Twins rather than pay the amount.

There is always the possibility the Mets could decide to trade Baty. He only appeared in 50 games last season and has hit .215/.282/.325 in 577 plate appearances over 162 games in the past three years.

The Mets do have potential options at third base. Mark Vientos is currently on track to be the starting first baseman with Pete Alonso being a free agent, but he could stay at the hot corner if the team signs someone to play first.

Assuming Baty remains on the Mets, it will be up to Soto to decide if he wants to pay to keep wearing No. 22. The 26-year-old has used the number for his entire MLB career, but he used No. 10 and 25 in the minors with the Washington Nationals.

The No. 25 is currently available for the Mets. Ronny Mauricio wore No. 10 for the team in 2023, but he missed all of last season due to a torn ACL.

Soto has more than enough money to pay for the allotment of Baty jerseys if he really wants to keep his old number. His deal with the Mets could end up topping out at $805 million with escalators. The salary includes a $75 million signing bonus.

Given all of the amenities that Mets owner Steve Cohen gave Soto in his contract—including use of a suite at Citi Field for his family—it seems highly unlikely that anything will prevent him from keeping No. 22 if he wants to keep it.

After securing superstar free agent Juan Soto on Saturday night, the New York Mets are now talking to New York Yankees pitcher Jonathan Loáisiga, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

"The righty fits two criteria that have value right now with the Mets — he has strong ties to Carlos Mendoza from their years together with the Yankees and is the kind of potential low-buy, high-ceiling bullpen arm that David Stearns gravitates toward," Sherman said.

Loáisiga underwent season-ending elbow surgery in April after appearing in just three games for the Yankees. He has a career 3.44 ERA, with 207 strikeouts, 84 earned runs, and a 2.9 K/BB ratio.

The 30-year-old specializes in heavy sinkers and induces a lot of ground balls, much like his former Yankees teammate-turned-Met counterpart Clay Holmes. Along with Holmes, Soto, and newly re-signed pitcher Frankie Montas, the Mets have become a Yankees 2.0 destination, with Harrison Bader, Adam Ottavino, Luis Severino and Luis Torrens all on the Mets' 2024 roster from the Yankees.

In addition to the Mets, Loáisiga is also drawing interest from the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and Blue Jays as well as the Yankees sources to ESPN.

His return from injury is expected to go well, as it is believed he will receive a big contract before the season to be a bullpen member.

"His electric stuff, headlined by a 98 mph sinker, makes him an attractive bullpen weapon for clubs expecting to contend," wrote ESPN's Jorge Castillo.

After landing the biggest star in free agency, the New York Mets are shifting their focus to retaining one of their current stars.

The team signed Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million deal Sunday and is hoping to re-sign star first baseman Pete Alonso.

"We'd love to bring Pete (Alonso) back," Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said, per Newsday's Tim Healy.

When asked whether Alonso would fit into the Mets' budget after the Soto signing, Stearns seemed confident the team's ownership could make it happen.

"I think our ownership has consistently demonstrated that there's going to be resources when we need them," Stearns said. "There is the ability for us to make baseball moves when we think that they're there to improve the team and we're going to continue to pursue a wide variety of areas to continue to improve our team."

David Stearns was asked if there's room in the Mets' budget for Pete Alonso:

"I think ownership has consistently demonstrated that there's going to be resources when we need them" pic.twitter.com/7LdSy57A1H

— SNY (@SNYtv) December 9, 2024

Soto's massive contract will make a significant impact on the Mets' payroll as they'll have to account for an additional $51 million per year, but owner Steve Cohen proved he's willing to spend if it means putting New York in a place to succeed.

Alonso, who has spent his entire career with the Mets, reportedly declined a seven-year, $158 million extension in 2023, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, likely in hopes of getting a larger deal this offseason.

The 30-year-old hit 34 homers and knocked in 88 RBI in 2024, recording a .240 batting average and .788 OPS. He's had 30 or more home runs in all but one season and will likely field significant offers before he makes his decision.

Before the end of the season, Alonso was linked to the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. In November, one MLB executive projected him to sign with the Washington Nationals, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Whether Alonso will stick with his current team is to be determined, but Stearns indicated that the Mets are prepared to make him an enticing offer.

Should the Mets retain Alonso, it's hard to imagine he and Soto wouldn't make them an early favorite to make a World Series run. New York reached the NLCS a season ago, and the addition of one of the best players in baseball could be what helps the Mets snap a championship drought that's lasted since 1986.

Juan Soto's first card with his new team is here.

After Soto signed a historic 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets on Sunday, Topps revealed a new autographed card featuring Soto in his new uniform. The card commemorates Soto's signing with the date of his deal, the length of his contract and a note highlighting that his deal is the largest in sports history.

Along with Soto's signature, he also penned "My first Mets Auto" on the card.

𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞: Juan Soto’s very first New York Mets card is officially here. 🍎 pic.twitter.com/mfabwA5iIL

— Topps (@Topps) December 9, 2024

While just five autographed cards will be released, the base card is available for purchase for $11.99. Topps noted that any fan who buys the base card will also have a chance to land the rare autographed card with their order.

The Mets won the Soto sweepstakes over his former team, the New York Yankees, along with a handful of other teams, such as the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 26-year-old hit 41 home runs, 109 RBI and recorded a .288 batting average while helping lead the Yankees to the World Series last season. Once he hit free agency, it was only a matter of time before he landed a historic deal.

With the superstar now signed, the Mets are hoping to snap a nearly 40-year championship drought. They took a step in the right direction by reaching the NLCS in 2024, and Soto could be the player to take them to the next level.

Newly signed New York Mets star outfielder Juan Soto reportedly had an unfortunate experience early in his tenure with the New York Yankees.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported during an appearance on MLB Network that Soto had "negative feelings" about an instance in April or May where a Yankees security guide removed one of his parents from an area in Yankee Stadium. The same security guide reportedly also removed Soto's driver and chef later in the year, forcing them to stand outside in the rain.

Heyman noted that he asked Soto about this issue after the Yankees lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

"Soto is a family guy, he was not too happy at the time," Heyman said.

The 26-year-old departed the Yankees after one season to head crosstown and sign a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets. The deal is the largest in professional sports history.

Heyman reported on Sunday that the Yankees offered Soto a 16-year, $760 million deal before he chose to sign the more lucrative offer from the Mets. ESPN's Jeff Passan added that Soto's deal with the Mets has escalators that can push it above $800 million and also contains no deferments.

The Yankees were once the dream organization that seemed to land every major star that hit the open market, but that era has long been forgotten. The Bronx Bombers have missed out on multiple big-name free agents over the past few years, which has been a major factor in their struggles to win a 28th World Series title.

After landing Soto, the Mets are now in a position to embark on their own run of dominance. Team owner Steve Cohen has never been shy about spending, so it's not out of the question to imagine more stars joining Soto and company in Queens.

Star outfielder Juan Soto's historic contract with the New York Mets shined a light on the discrepancy between big-city franchises and smaller-market teams.

For example, Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun determined that Soto's 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets exceeds the Baltimore Orioles' payroll for the past eight years:

Juan Soto contract: $765 million

Orioles payroll 2016-2024: $721 million

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) December 9, 2024

Going even further, radio host Josh Rowntree found that Soto's deal is larger than the entire Pittsburgh Pirates payroll for the last decade:

The Mets just committed more money to Juan Soto ($765 million) than the #Pirates have committed to their entire payroll over the last 10 years ($757 million).

Unfortunate for fans of small market teams that this type of imbalance is allowed to happen.

— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) December 9, 2024

ESPN's Jeff Passan noted that Soto's contract can reach above $800 million with escalators and contains no deferments. His deal is the largest in professional sports history.

Soto earned the record-breaking contract following his special season with the New York Yankees in which he hit a career-high 41 home runs while batting .288 and adding 109 RBI. He helped lead the team to its first World Series appearance since 2009, hitting .327 with four homers and nine RBI in the playoffs.

It will be rare for another player of Soto's caliber to hit the open market in the future, but it can be expected that smaller-market teams will continue to be at a disadvantage while other teams shell out massive amounts of cash to land the free agent of their desires.

Juan Soto is the richest athlete in history courtesy of the biggest, baddest team in New York.

Honestly, it feels weird to write that sentence and not refer to the Yankees.

Not the first half, mind you. That part became straight-up factual on Sunday night when the 26-year-old Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets.

Thus, one of the most anticipated free-agent sagas ever resulted in the largest contract not just in the history of Major League Baseball, but of all sports.

JUAN SOTO IS SIGNING WITH THE METS 🚨

15-years, $765M 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zBs5r5jiL9

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 9, 2024

If Soto, a four-time All-Star with a .421 OBP and 201 home runs, is the talk of town in New York, Mets owner Steve Cohen might as well be the toast of it.

Even after back-to-back $300-plus million payrolls, the Soto deal is the ultimate sign that Cohen didn't become the wealthiest owner in MLB just to not play the part. And, really, what is $765 million when you're worth $21.3 billion?

As for the Yankees, well, they gave it a good try.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees' last bid to retain Soto was for 16 years and $760 million. That put the competition in hair-splitting territory, where the Yankees were supposed to have an advantage.

Yet is anyone actually, truly surprised that Soto chose the Mets?

---

Yesterday's New York Team vs. Tomorrow's New York Team

Neither Soto nor his agent, Scott Boras, have yet explained why the Mets were the pick. All we really know is how Soto celebrated, which involved a hot tub and some kind of bubbly.

However, one doesn't need to be a Holmes—be it Sherlock, Mycroft or the other newest Met, Clay—to deduce that Soto simply wanted to be a Met more than he wanted to be a Yankee.

"I think Juan Soto looked at the New York Mets' future ... and believed that the Mets have a better future than Yankees."@JeffPassan tells @notthefakeSVP on why Soto chose the Mets over the Yankees despite only a $5M difference 👀 pic.twitter.com/lL4bXmARGD

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 9, 2024

It is weird to imagine anyone looking at the Yankees and feeling unconvinced. They are 27-time World Series champions, and Soto was just on a squad that went to the World Series.

If Soto had returned to the Bronx, he would have been together again with Aaron Judge. The two enjoyed a tremendous partnership in 2024, forming a bond not seen since the days of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Then again, Soto's return to the Yankees now would have been akin to catching a ride on the Titanic right before it hit that iceberg.

Their history is nice and all, but what matters now is that the Yankees just got their butts whupped by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a Fall Classic in which talent only went so far. And besides, the whole package is one that makes you want to check the expiration date.

Judge will be 33 years old in 2025. Gerrit Cole is already 34, and coming off a season in which his elbow threatened his status as an ace. The Yankees have just two prospects in B/R's top 100, one of whom (Spencer Jones) is coming off a brutal year.

Further up the ladder, Brian Cashman has been the Yankees' general manager for too long already, and his current contract runs through 2026. Aaron Boone, who has a permanent residence on the manager hot seat, is only signed through 2025.

The Mets' most recent World Series title is nearly 40 years old, but they have gotten close to getting off the schneid since Cohen bought the franchise in 2020. They won 101 games in 2022 and, after a slow start, arose as the winning-est team in MLB after June 12 of this year.

Soto, who finished third in the AL MVP voting, joins Francisco Lindor, who finished second on the NL side, to form a duo of in-their-prime superstars. Brandon Nimmo is still kicking, and Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez are sluggers on the rise.

Manager Carlos Mendoza and president of baseball operations David Stearns have been with the Mets for just one year. Yet both have made their respective marks, and Stearns has barely gotten started on his directive to turn the Mets into the Dodgers of the East Coast.

Ingenuity is only one of two necessary ingredients; the other is a steady flow of cash.

---

Steve Cohen Gets It. Hal Steinbrenner Does Not.

Does anyone remember that old VISA commercial with George Steinbrenner and Joe Torre?

If not, here it is:

Funny stuff, but also notable for presenting the most honest depiction of MLB ownership ever put to any kind of medium. At the end of the day, all owners have just one critical function: to sign the dang checks.

Cohen understands this. He's spent $1.7 billion on free agents over the last five winters. Add Lindor's 10-year, $341 million extension, and that's over $2 billion in commitments to new Mets.

As of 2022, all this willy-nilly spending puts the Mets at an annual risk of crossing the third luxury-tax threshold, for which the penalties are severe. It's colloquially known as the "Cohen tax" because it is meant to spook a party of one.

And he doesn't care.

You could see which way the wind was blowing in New York even before recent events. pic.twitter.com/y8tMHctPxz

— Zachary D. Rymer (@zachrymer) December 9, 2024

Now, contrast all this with how the Yankees operate under Hal Steinbrenner.

It's not that they don't spend. The club's Opening Day payrolls for the last three seasons have pushed closer and closer to $300 million. If Soto had accepted their $760 million offer, they might have reached that mark in 2025.

Yet Hal Steinbrenner finds no joy in spending. He has indeed publicly lamented having to do so, including as recently as May.

"What I always say to you guys like a broken record: I don't believe I should have to have a $300 million payroll to win a championship," Steinbrenner said.

It's too bad for Hal that spending and winning tend to be strongly linked. And so it went in 2024. The three highest-spending teams in MLB were the Mets, Dodgers and Yankees, and all three made it to the Championship Series round of the playoffs.

Perhaps not spending enough doomed the Yankees. Given this is the most valuable and revenue-rich franchise in MLB, their owner lacks excuses.

---

All Soto and the Mets Have to Do Now Is Win

Lamentation is the name of the game for Yankees fans today. And save for the jersey-burning nimrods among it, one does feel for the base.

There is ample time left in the offseason for the Yankees to save face. There should also be ample money. Though $760 million would only have bought one Juan Soto, it can buy a veritable handful of other free agents.

But, alas, the Yankees' options have already dwindled.

While they were pursuing Soto, backup targets such as Willy Adames and Blake Snell signed elsewhere. Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso are still out there, but any mix of post-Soto desperation and agents' desire to cash in on it has the potential to result in a contract or two that the Yankees could come to regret.

As for you, Mets fans...well, are you having fun yet?

To be sure, even a $765 million signing does not make a complete team. Without Alonso, the Mets need a corner infielder. Bullpen upgrades are also needed, and Holmes and Frankie Montas don't quite fill the voids left by Sean Manaea and Luis Severino in the rotation.

It's a good thing, then, that the Mets are still about $50 million in average annual value short of triggering the Cohen tax for 2025. And even as is, this is a legit World Series contender.

🚨 METS NOW HAVE THE THIRD BEST WORLD SERIES ODDS AFTER SIGNING JUAN SOTO 🚨

They were +1400 a few hours ago…

(@DKSportsbook) pic.twitter.com/Z17Q6O4mxo

— br_betting (@br_betting) December 9, 2024

And whereas you can look just two feet in front of the Yankees and spot a cliff's edge, the land before the Mets looks like a welcoming, endless pasture bathed in light.

31-year-old Lindor will age out of his prime before too long, but Soto is a rock like few free-agent signings before him have ever been a rock. Both his peers in that group (i.e., Alex Rodriguez, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado) and his historical comps (i.e., Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, etc.) hint at a long, fruitful reign for him as the Mets' core superstar.

Otherwise, Cohen's dollars are not going anywhere. Before he came to Queens, Stearns was known for building a W machine in Milwaukee on a much smaller budget.

Oh, sure. The baseball gods have ways of checking those who would dare be the Icarus to their Daedalus. Just because the Mets have made such an aggressive play for World Series glory does not guarantee they will get it.

But if ever there was a time for Mets fans to get greedy, it is now. The wind is blowing firmly at their backs, which has already proven too powerful for the Yankees.

Don't ask when Soto and the Mets will finally bring home a championship. Ask how soon the next one after that will come.

---

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

The winner of the 2025 World Series could easily be impacted by Juan Soto's free agency decision.

Soto agreed to join the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract that can reach the $800 million mark with escalators, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The 2024 World Series participants, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, were both among the teams interested in signing him.

The Dodgers still have the highest odds to repeat as champions at +380, via DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Atlanta Braves own the second-best odds at +750, while the Mets sit at No. 3 with +800 odds. The Yankees have +900 odds to win the 2025 Fall Classic and the Philadelphia Phillies round out the top five at +1000.

It shouldn't come as a major surprise that the Dodgers are favored to win their second straight World Series title. They went 98-64 in the regular season and took down the Mets in six games during a National League Championship Series clash.

Then, Los Angeles dispatched Soto and the Yankees in five games to clinch a championship.

The Dodgers boast an imposing lineup headlined by former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman as well as two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who's expected to pitch once again during the 2025 season.

Los Angeles has already made a free agency splash of its own, signing two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract on Nov. 26.

Blake Snell has struck out 9 through 5 innings ... and allowed 0 hits. pic.twitter.com/oyrhlIBWbK

— MLB (@MLB) August 13, 2024

While the Mets were defeated by the Dodgers in the NLCS, the acquisition of Soto should make them a top NL threat to the reigning champions once again. Francisco Lindor is coming off a stellar 2024 campaign, while third baseman Mark Vientos wrapped up a breakout season.

It's also worth noting that the Mets made their postseason run without starter Kodai Senga healthy, as the All-Star recorded just five innings of work in three postseason appearances as he was hampered by calf issues.

Kodai Senga retires Shohei Ohtani in their first matchup in the #NLCS. pic.twitter.com/9MPZKrKUca

— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2024

The Yankees offered Soto $760 million over 16 years before he chose the Mets, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Losing the star outfielder obviously stings, but general manager Brian Cashman can now use the money offered to Soto to help fill several holes on the team's roster.

With Aaron Judge winning his second MVP unanimously and ace Gerrit Cole headlining the Yankees' rotation once again in 2025, it's hard to count them out as a contender despite losing Soto.

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and his wife, Alex, reportedly played a large role in Juan Soto's decision to sign with the team in free agency.

Juan Soto's $765M is INSANE 🤯

LARGEST CONTRACT IN SPORTS HISTORY 💰 pic.twitter.com/anpSe7bU3L

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 9, 2024

Soto met with several teams at the Pendry hotel in California, but Cohen insisted that he host his meeting with Soto at his own residence in the state, according to Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon, Brendan Kuty and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

"During the meeting with Soto, Cohen and his wife Alex outlined their vision for the Mets, and how the best free agent on the market would fit into that picture," Mooney, Sammon, Kuty and Rosenthal wrote on Monday. "According to a league source, Cohen referenced the relationships he built over the course of his long Wall Street career, and shared his insights about what it takes to be successful in any field."

The four-time All-Star ultimately joined the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract that can be worth up to $800 million with escalators, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The New York Yankees attempted to bring back Soto after he spent the 2024 season with the organization, but a return didn't come to fruition. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Yankees offered the outfielder a 16-year deal worth $760 million.

The crosstown free-agent clashes from the past appeared to play a role in Cohen's aggressive approach to landing Soto.

"Cohen was not going to defer to the Yankees, the way he did in 2022 when Aaron Judge flirted with other teams before signing his nine-year, $360 million contract to remain in the Bronx," Mooney, Sammon, Kuty and Rosenthal wrote. "But Cohen's eagerness to spend – and the possibility of poaching a superstar from a crosstown rival – was just one aspect to this perfect storm."

After making a surprising appearance in the National League Championship Series in 2024, the Mets will now be adding one of the league's most imposing hitters to their lineup. Soto wrapped up an incredible season with the Yankees, racking up 41 home runs and 109 RBIs while posting a .989 OPS.

SOTO SENDS ONE INTO THE NIGHT

(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/FtST09dj3D

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) September 12, 2024

He remained stellar during the Bronx Bombers' American League pennant run, hitting four homers in 14 postseason games to go along with a .327/.469/.633 slash line.

JUAN SOTO. THREE-RUN HOMER. @YANKEES LEAD IN THE 10TH! pic.twitter.com/w5goa4pSwz

— MLB (@MLB) October 20, 2024

In the end, efforts from the Cohen family to sway Soto throughout his free agency succeeded.