Juan Soto is a New York Met
I'm freaking out right now, Steve Cohen is the best owner in all of sports after signing the best free agent to a 15 year - $765 million contract! LGM!
The most anxiety inducing free agency, quite possibly of all time, has just concluded. Juan Soto has made his decision and will be playing in the blue & orange for the foreseeable future! It’s a mammoth contract, breaking Shohei Ohtani’s contract for the largest contract in professional sports history. Soto’s 15 year - $765 million deal (escalators to rise over $800 million total value) exceeds Shohei’s record of total value and present day average annual value (AAV) at $51 million. There is also an opt out after 5 years.
Steve Cohen has flexed his financial muscle and successfully pulled the 26 year old Juan Soto away from the Bronx. The Mets now become serious World Series contenders with the addition of their new right fielder. David Stearns & co will look to continue adding bats to the lineup. It’s crazy to say, but the probability of Pete Alonso returning is still probably a non-zero number (though I think his return is extremely unlikely).
The Mets’ outfield is now completed with Brandon Nimmo, Jose Siri, Juan Soto & Tyrone Taylor under control beyond 2025. Led by Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto slots in as “The Guy” with the Mets with a chance to solidify his legacy as one of the best players of all time! He has been one of the best players in the league since he debuted and displays elite skills that expect to age extremely well.
Soto’s bring unmatched poise & confidence to the Mets. Along with elite plate discipline & contact quality that will be a force in the Mets lineup for at least the next 5 years. The Mets have slotted in the 40 home run power bat we needed when the offseason started. His career 18.8% walk rate does wonders for putting stress on opposing pitchers while his career .421 OBP means there are constantly runners on base and forces pitchers to throw strikes to the sluggers behind him. His contact quality metrics were no worse than the 98th percentile in 2024, making his Baseball Savant dashboard look like a crime seen with so much red. To this point in his career, his expected home runs if he played every game in Citi Field is 204 (per Baseball Savant).
Juan Soto's 3-Run Home Run to Send the Yankees to the World Series
At this time, the Mets still have multiple holes to fill including 1B (so Vientos can stay at 3B) & DH, but with Soto. The job is not done, but the most important player has been acquired. With the addition of Soto, the Mets’ current projected lineup looks like…
Francisco Lindor SS
Juan Soto RF
Mark Vientos 1B
Brandon Nimmo LF
Starling Marte DH
Jeff McNeil 2B
Francisco Alvarez C
Brett Baty 3B
Jose Siri CF
This is a great day for Mets fans everywhere. I’m over the moon at this announcement and still cannot believe it. Fresh off an NLCS berth, the New York Mets have added the best player they possibly could to ensure their chances to fight for a World Series championship! LFGM!