As the full speed ahead run at Juan Soto continues from so many teams, be sure of one thing, The Mets will not come up short on the money end. The question just might be, does Juan Soto want to be a Met.
Mets owner Steve Cohen grew up a Mets fan. He knows how much the battle for the backpages means in New York. Knows full well that prying Soto away from the Yankees is a win in so many ways other than what his on field talents can obviously deliver.
Cohen quickly showed he was ready to spend to bring a championship to Queens. Serving up a three-year, $130 million contract to Max Scherzer. He brought manager Buck Showalter out of retirement with a 3 year $11.25 million contract.
That 2022 was a major success. The team went from seventy-seven wins to a hundred and one. When the team bowed out in the wild card series to San Diego. Cohen doubled down. As he had done the previous December, Cohen got himself another former multi Cy Young winner after losing one.
Justin Verlander signs with Mets
Jacob deGrom left the Mets for Texas without giving his former team a chance to counter the Rangers offer so in came Justin Verlander, inking a a two-year, $86.6 million free-agent deal that included a $35 million vesting club option for 2025.
Cohen was mega excited “We feel a deep connection with his drive to succeed and we know Mets fans will love watching him pitch.”
The 2023 was not a fun watch. The disaster ended with seventy=five wins, a fourth place finish, twenty-nine games out of first place. Before the season ended Scherzer was in Texas and Verlander in Houston. When the season did end. Showalter was gone.
The 2024 season did not appear to be much better. Under new manager Carlos Mendoza, the team sat at 28-37 on June 11th. As the trade deadline lumed they got as far as 50-48 on July 21st. Perhaps time to trade impending free agent first baseman Pete Alonso?
Mets go on magical run
The rest is of course history. They finished with eighty-nine wins. Leading MLB in late game comebacks. Alonso delivering some key historic homers as they made it to game six of the NL championship series.
Having come so close and with Alonso now a free agent there is work to do. Either by trade or through Cohen’s huge bankroll. Should Alonso not return, they’ll need a new first baseman. Another free agent, Christian Walker, ex of the Diamondbacks would be a good start.
Pitcher Sean Manaea who had the best run of his career in the send half is also a free agent. Pitching is needed but pitching is available. Garrett Crochet of the White Sox is available by trade but there are significant free agents.
Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried and Jack Flaherty all top shelf and there are others available at the right price. But make no mistake, nobody will change the narative like Juan Soto and Cohen is expecting to offer whatever it will take.
