Despite being considered a favorite to land Juan Soto since he became a free agent during the offseason (let’s be honest, even before that), Mets owner Steve Cohen had his doubts that the 26-year-old slugger would end up choosing Queens.
Still, he persisted and remained dogged in his attempt to woo the superstar free agent.
On Friday, according to Jon Heyman of the NY Post, Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns actually held a secret, last-minute meeting with Soto, his agent Scott Boras and members of Soto’s inner circle at Cohen’s home in Boca Raton. (For what it’s worth, their first meeting with Soto and Co. took place at Cohen’s mansion in Beverly Hills.)
And although the meeting went well, Cohen couldn’t shake the feeling that Soto was going to stay in the Bronx.
In fact, Cohen wasn’t convinced that — despite being the most motivated owner to sign Soto — he could compete with the Yankees’ history, tradition, consistency and, of course, Aaron Judge hitting behind Soto in the lineup.
“I was being logical. When you have Judge, it’s tough to beat that,” Cohen said. “Juan was great. But what they had … I didn’t know how to solve that.”
And yet, after the incredible season Judge and Soto had in their lone season together in pinstripes, one in which saw them reach the World Series, Soto chose the crosstown rival Mets as his destination, something Cohen, who called the process “opaque” until the very end, couldn’t believe.
To their credit, the Mets had an incredible season of their own last year (in what was supposed to be a transitional year) that ended in six games of the NLCS against the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers. They did it, too, with fun and laughs and, yes, memes.
While the circus that tends to surround the Mets usually spells disaster, the 2024 season was more like a carnival ride — one that people can’t wait to get in line for. Clearly, Soto was one of those people.
Sure, Cohen and the Mets offered Soto the most money at $51 million a year over 15 years (numbers that can go up, by the way), but the Yankees’ offer was similar and they were the incumbent. (The Yankees were given a chance to match the Mets’ offer, but they declined.) That is to say, Soto chose the Mets, and by extension Cohen and Stearns who earned Soto’s trust during the entire process.
Perhaps a small gesture, Cohen was also able to give Soto something the Yankees were unwilling to do — a suite at Citi Field for the outfielder’s family. The Yankees historically have made their players pay for a suite and felt they couldn’t change their precedent. Small gesture or not, the suite possibly put the Mets over the top.
Ever since Cohen bought the team in 2020, he’s made it clear that he wants to not only win, but change the culture and perception of the Mets. And even though he wasn’t sure Soto would choose Queens, the fact that he did (and over the Yankees, no less) is a clear sign that Cohen is succeeding in his mission of taking the Mets to new heights.
