Well Juan Soto got his money as expected. Nobody was going to outspend New York Mets owner Steve Cohen as expected. Soto will be a Met for a long time and will cash in for more than anyone in baseball history. Man this will be especially crushing to the Yankees.
Juan Soto's 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets includes no deferred money, according to sources, and has escalators that can reach above $800 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2024
It’s hard for me to remember when I wasn’t a baseball fan. Sure I was left without a home when my Montreal Expos moved to Washington, but the sport was already in my blood. From the day I fell in love with Frank Robinson and the Baltimore Orioles, I was hooked.
Of course it didn’t hurt that Montreal got Canada’s first team. The first ever to play games outside of the U.S. It was quite the discussion when my dad pleaded for this 12-year-old’s accompaniment at that first ever game on Canadian soil on a school day.
Of course it would have helped had they known this was truly vocational training. I went on to cover the baseball team as radio journalist starting in 1982. Followed that as a play by play announcer for the team until they were done and moved to Washington.
I could go on and on about my time in baseball and the radio broadcasting connected with it. Oh wait I did, I wrote a book about it, which you can read here: But this isn’t about that.
Always great talent available
When I was a radio disc jockey, I loved songs that ended cold. Great to come right in and talk or to fire off the next tune. The baseball season not so much. First the pinch of fantasy baseball ending on the regular season’s final day. Then nothing after the final world series game.
Nothing that is until free agency kicks off and baseball always has stars to offer up. This year is no different. A generational hitter is now officially a Met. The Winter meetings will now take off in all directions as the losers pivot.
Once tongues stop wagging at the enormity of Soto’s Met deal of course. There is an array of other decent bats. There are top flight pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried.
I love the winter of examining every team’s roster construction. Especially the teams I cheer for. The aforementioned Baltimore Orioles and my burgeoning love for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who seem to have some of the old Expos in them.
Big Garrett Crochet trade coming
The Juan Soto signing which is reportedly expected any moment should open things up as the teams vying for his services, the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and perhaps Dodgers pivot elsewhere.
The pitching picture will get clearer as the big names come off the board but a big name youngster is available in trade and he will cost. Twenty-five year old Garrett Crochet should net the Chicago White Sox some serious talent.
Is that where the Orioles go to replace free agent Corbin Burnes? They certainly have the required young players to complete such a deal. The signing of Tyler O’neill shortens some outfielder playing time for players like Heston Kjerstad.
But they’re not the only team that can furnish the Pale Hose with what they’re looking for. The Red Sox have it in spades and rumours have first baseman Triston Cassas as available as well.
That’s could be just the tip of the iceburg as baseball’s wheelers and dealers gather in Dallas, Baseball’s hot stove may be heading for full boil at the winter meetings at any moment.
