Without question, the best player on the open market is Juan Soto. Soto is a once-in-a-generation type player, and it’s even more rare he hits the open market. Over his seven seasons, he’s slashed .285/.421/.532 for a .953 OPS with 201 home runs 592 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 160. He’s won the Silver Slugger Award four times and made four All-Star games. Finally, he’s shown he can produce when the lights are bright, being a main contributor to the Nationals World Series win in 2019. Oh yeah did I forget to mention he’s only 26 years old?
This is a franchise-changing player. The type of player you have no fears about giving a ten-year-plus contract to. Because when he reaches regression age, the contract will be just about over. With all of this, you can expect a major bidding war for the outfielder services this offseason. However, there is one team that needs him the most, the New York Mets. The Mets need to do whatever it takes to bring Soto to Queens next season.
How Soto Helps The Mets
Without question, Soto is one of the best players in baseball. He probably be considered the best if Shohei Ohtani didn’t exist. So it’s no surprise signing him would drastically improve the overall roster. However in what areas would Soto help the Mets the most?
Aside from the obvious like lengthening the lineup, Soto achieves a goal the Mets have had since they brought in Francisco Lindor. Rumor has it that the Mets have wanted to bring in another superstar bat to help protect Lindor in the lineup. Now sure Lindor has had some protection in guys like Pete Alonso. However, Soto provides much more protection than Alonso does. Alonso over the years has become much more of a power hitter, causing pitchers to find a way to throw to him.
Soto isn’t anywhere close to a one-dimensional hitter. Look at this past season. He slashed .288/.419/.569 for a .989 OPS with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs. Although he hits a lot of home runs that’s not all he does. Getting on base is a huge part of his game, and this can be seen with his knowledge of the strike zone. With that type of hitter behind Lindor, pitchers are going to go after Lindor and give him more pitches to hit. Thus improving his stats and making his numbers even better than they already are.
What Will They Have To Do To Get Him
Now with how good Soto is, there is expected to be a lot of interest. It’d be irresponsible for a team not to at least consider bringing in the superstar. But, what will keep most teams away is the price tag. With his production and age, most are projection Soto to get somewhere between 50-60 million per season. Ten years at 55 million per season would be one of the biggest contracts in MLB history. Something that a lot of teams won’t be able to afford. Now this isn’t a problem for the Mets and other big-market teams like the Phillies, Dodgers, and Giants. But teams like the Rays and Brewers can’t.
The biggest obstacle for the Mets to sign Soto is their crosstown rivals New York Yankees. The Yankees acquired Soto last offseason and was a major part of their offense. Similar to the Mets, the Yankees need someone to pair with Aaron Judge. Which Soto filled perfectly. Now before the playoffs, Soto would’ve gone to whatever team offers him the most money. However, after hitting the home run that helped the Yankees secure their spot in the World Series, they have an advantage. Soto had his Yankee moment and earned his pinstripes, which built a connection with the franchise. Because of that the Mets are going to have to spend more than the Yankees to bring him in. However, Soto is one of the few players who are worth it.
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