Yankees Hal Steinbrenner and Mets Steve Cohen’s SHOWDOWN for Juan Soto finally begins
Yankees Hal Steinbrenner plans a flight to California after hearing of Mets Steve Cohen’s meet-up plan with Juan Soto.
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Hal Steinbrenner, Juan Soto, and Steve Cohen [Image Credit: Reddit/Pinstripes Nation/Bloomberg News]
It seems like the race to acquire Juan Soto has finally begun in full-fledged form. A couple of days ago New York Mets owner Steve Cohen stated he had planned a meeting with the 4x All-Star and his agent Scott Boras.
Soon after learning of their meet, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner arranged his own call with the agent and Soto next week. While Cohen is known for his deep pockets in the free agency, Steinbrenner won’t go down without a fight.
They’ll both get chances to woo Juan Soto to sign with their teams for a shot at the World Series Championship in 2025. The Yankees came close this season but ended up losing in only five games.
On the other hand, the Mets have been building their core with top players over the years and are heavily interested in adding Soto to the mix. As per industry sources according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Hal Steinbrenner has planned a flight to Southern California in a week and a half.
Hal Steinbrenner will fly to California to meet with Juan Soto in a week and a half, per @JonHeyman pic.twitter.com/yhECAGfrhX
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) November 8, 2024
Since Soto played with the Bombers, the team is hopeful to retain him after he spoke so much about his love for the Yankees fan base and overall experience. However, Soto has clearly mentioned he’ll be open to offers from all 30 MLB teams.
According to his agent, Soto will speak with each representative and see what’s on the table before putting the pen to the paper. While the Los Angeles Dodgers have also shown interest in Soto, the chances are he will stay in NY. But with whom is the question?
NY Yankees on edge over Juan Soto free agency
Whether Juan Soto ends up staying with the pinstripes or signs with another team, he’ll heavily impact the NY Yankees 2025 plans. The organization has offered him $21.05 million for 1-year. In case he rejects it, the Yankees will get a compensation pick for the 2025 draft.
In that case, they may also look up to sign either Blake Snell or Pete Alonso in the lineup. However, if Soto remains with the Yankees, the team may find it difficult to sign high-class players from the free agency market. Currently, the starting bid for Soto is $600 million.
Since [Soto] knows us, we are standing ready to meet with him if he feels it necessary to meet with us. He understands the landscape of opportunities that now exist for himself. He’s played in San Diego. He’s played in Washington. Now he’s played here. So we are more than willing to meet as many times as he would like to meet.
Brian Cashman as per Jon Heyman and Mark W. Sanchez of NY Post
Brian Cashman was asked if Steve Cohen's net worth makes him nervous in re-signing Juan Soto:
— SNY (@SNYtv) November 5, 2024
"I think that's just the nature of the beast. We do our best to compete with whomever on a year-in, year-out basis" pic.twitter.com/1rwPcQaGDE
Soto’s contract is expected to rise up to $700 million clashing with Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s contract. Apart from the Mets, Dodgers, and Yankees, other teams vying for Soto are – the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays.
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(2140 Articles Published)