The New York Mets came away as winners of the Juan Soto sweepstakes this offseason. They signed him to a historic 15-year $765 million contract. This surpasses the record set last offseason when Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers. While Mets fans are jumping for joy, they seem to forget that their team has to win a championship to make it worth it. The Mets haven’t brought home a World Series trophy since 1986. Until the Mets win another championship, they’ll continue to be buried in the Yankees’ shadow.
Signing Juan Soto To A Franchise Altering Contract
Embed from Getty ImagesThis offseason, the New York Mets made a franchise-altering commitment to free agent darling Juan Soto. They signed him to a 15-year $765 million deal shattering the previous record set by Shohei Ohtani last year. The 26-year-old will be 41 by the time this contract expires. This not only makes Soto the highest-paid player in the history of baseball but sports as well. That’s a big commitment to someone who’s prolific offensively but doesn’t pitch and is average at best defensively. While Mets fans may be cheering about prying Soto away from the Yankees, their team hasn’t overcome the large Bronx shadow yet.
No Free Agent Has Brought The Mets Closer To A Championship
Embed from Getty ImagesMets fans are idiots to believe that signing Juan Soto automatically frees them from the Yankees’ shadow. It’s all about hoisting World Series trophies! We’ve seen the franchise spend lots of money on free agents over the years. They’ve signed stars like Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Eddie Murray, Bobby Bonilla, Carlos Beltran, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Francisco Rodriguez, Vince Coleman, and others to big contracts. However, none of them were able to help the Mets bring back the commissioner’s trophy to Queens.
Given what has happened in the past to the New York Mets, there’s no reason to believe signing Soto will be any different. Heck, New York’s spending sprees under Steve Cohen still haven’t resulted in any championships. The Mets are like that family member who finally comes home and proclaims this is the year they’ll change their behavior. However, they keep failing to change their ways and continue to screw up.
This Signing Had Better Help End The Mets World Series Drought
The only way for the Mets to overcome the Bronx shadows is for them to win a championship with Juan Soto. Soto is currently 26 and will probably give the Mets seven prime years before his skills decline. The road won’t be easy given they’ll most likely have to go through perennial contenders like the Dodgers, Phillies, Padres, and Braves. We all know the backend of these long-term contracts is bad for teams. If the Mets don’t capitalize on his prime years, win a championship, and Soto becomes a liability; then it’ll be a long time until his contract comes off the books.
No World Series Win=Still Being Buried In The Yankees Shadow
Embed from Getty ImagesSigning Juan Soto won’t make the Mets automatically emerge from the Yankees’ shadow; only winning a championship will. New York figures to have seven prime years of performance during this contract, it’ll be up to David Stearns and the front office to take advantage of them. The Mets are up against history, they’ve signed countless big-name free agents in the past, and none of them have resulted in the World Series trophy returning to Queens. The Soto signing has to result in the Mets winning the World Series, otherwise, they’ll still be New York’s second-rate team.
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