We get it: This hasn’t been declared a two-team race, not yet anyway. The Blue Jays have enough cash on hand to be players for Juan Soto. The Phillies insist they are. The Dodgers are the Dodgers. And we are certain to be entertained by the annual appearance of “mystery teams” who come out to play whenever Scott Boras is shopping a client.
But for now, let’s pretend it is. We know the Mets are getting a meeting with Juan Soto this week. We know the Yankees are getting a meeting with Soto next week. So let’s start there. And let’s start with this, too: Forget the money, because if it really is only about who offers a couple nickels more, where’s the fun in this debate?
We can agree on this: Wherever he goes, Soto is not going to leave very much, if anything, on the table. So from here, let’s take a look, 440 words per team, as to what the Mets and Yankees can both offer Soto to make his decision easier. Since the Yankees are the incumbents, let us start in The Bronx.
The case for the Yankees
We need to take it easy on the history and the tradition aspect of this.
If history and tradition were going to be major parts of the equation, Soto likely would’ve signed on already. History and tradition are the playgrounds of fans and nostalgic sportswriters. It is likely Soto was impressed with the way Yankee Stadium constantly reminds you that Babe Ruth played here (technically, across the street) and Lou Gehrig played here, and Derek Jeter. It is likely to be entirely beside the point.
What the Yankees’ most valuable asset is, is this:
The here and now.
For now, and for each of the next seven years, Soto will be in the same lineup as Aaron Judge. Sometimes, we theorize about things in sports, especially if you’re just shooting the breeze in a saloon: What if Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky had ever been able to play together? What if Tom Seaver had ever pitched to Ted Williams? In 2024, we saw one of those hypotheticals spring to life:
What if Juan Soto and Aaron Judge were back-to-back in a batting order?
Answer: It would be breathtaking. It yielded 99 home runs, 253 RBIs, 250 runs scored, a combined OPS well over 1.000. Another theoretical come to life: If you could start a baseball team with two players, what other two would you pick besides them?
And all seven of those years — and the five (or more) that Soto would play beyond — will be played in Yankee Stadium, and it’s important to remember: Soto didn’t really customize his swing there over the course of one year. He is still an all-field hitter, and you have to figure the more he plays there the more he will learn that while it might be technically beautiful to find the Death Valley gap, there’s something to be said for taking full advantage of the short porch in right.
And there is this: The Yankees will always choose to compete. That’s different than winning championships every year, which is something the vagaries of the game simply don’t allow. But while many find complaint with Brian Cashman’s roster building and others in Hal Steinbrenner’s commitment relative to his father, let’s remember one thing:
When George Steinbrenner invented free-agent binge spending in 1977, he gave Reggie Jackson five years and $3 million. In 2024 dollars, that deal is still only worth $16 million. The Boss didn’t play in this era. The Yankees’ quest for titles survives. And will for as long as the Steinbrenner family is in charge, which figures to be for quite a long time. And will as long as Soto plays here.
The case for the Mets
History lessons don’t mean as much as they used to, and certainly don’t matter all that much to superstar athletes in their mid-20s. We’ve already stated as much.
You know what does appeal to superstar athletes in their mid-20s?
Ego trips. And here is a (possibly sad, but decidedly true) fact about the Mets: The moment he signs a contract with the Mets, he immediately — without ever taking even one swing in the uniform — becomes one of the five best everyday players the team has ever had. The short list, this moment, includes Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Mike Piazza and Francisco Lindor. You want to add Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry or Pete Alonso? Sure. You are entitled.
But Soto is on the list. And you don’t go down it very far until you get to his name.
Is that enough to lead a recruiting pitch with? Probably not. But it does seem (from what we’ve seen and heard from him) that a player like Soto could well find more appeal in the building of a foundational legacy rather than joining one that’s already well established.
Citi Field?
It doesn’t have the famous name of the ballpark across the town. But its dimensions would be almost perfect for Soto’s swing. He doesn’t get the extra 10 paces in right field, but as we’ve already said, he’s just as happy taking those talents to center and to left field, also. Citi is not a hitter’s paradise, but a smart hitter can find gaps there every game. Jose Reyes and Jeff McNeil both won batting titles at Citi Field; you can’t imagine Juan Soto could add a few?
And, OK: We’ve already declared as off-limits the amount of what Soto will sign for. What can’t be is the source of those riches. And here’s the thing: If Steven Cohen does hit whatever the magic number will be to get Soto’s signature, he clearly will have zero compunction to do whatever it takes — spend whatever it takes — to make the Mets into the kind of team where Soto is a part of a contender, not a stand-alone feature.
Steve Cohen, at around $20 billion, is worth just about what the next three richest baseball owners are combined. And look at it this way, here is another dose of truth to go along with everything else: The Mets have never gone into a duel like this with the Yankees and come out ahead. Ever. And if you don’t think part of the appeal for all of this to Steve Cohen was taking a shot like this, you haven’t been paying attention.
