Report: Soto, Boras to meet with Steinbrenner after Mets' Cohen
Steve Cohen is ready to make his pitch to Juan Soto, and Hal Steinbrenner's not far behind.
Cohen, the New York Mets owner, will meet with the free-agent superstar and his agent Scott Boras in Southern California next week, sources told Mike Puma of the New York Post. The sit-down will be the first between Soto and the Mets, who are trying to lure the outfielder to Queens after one season across town with the Yankees.
Not to be outdone, Steinbrenner scheduled his own meeting with Soto's camp to pitch him on a return to the Yankees, sources told the Post's Jon Heyman on Friday. Steinbrenner's meeting will take place after Cohen's; while a date isn't yet known, it's expected that the Yankees owner will fly to California within the next week-and-a-half, Heyman reports.
The 26-year-old Soto is said to be seeking what could be the biggest contract in MLB history. But that doesn't seem to scare either New York owner. Cohen, the richest individual owner in baseball, has spent lavishly since purchasing the Mets four years ago. The Mets also have over $90 million in dead money coming off the books this winter, opening salary space for a team that fielded the majors' highest payroll in 2024.
The Yankees are hoping Soto will stay in the Bronx long term after they traded five players to acquire him from the San Diego Padres last winter. His first season in pinstripes was a huge success, as he hit .288/.419/.569 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs, and an AL-high 128 runs scored as one half of a dynamic duo with Aaron Judge.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said earlier this week that while he's already touched base with Boras and will continue to do so, Steinbrenner may be less involved than other owners due to the player's familiarity with the organization.
"Since (Soto) knows us, we are standing ready to meet with him if he feels it necessary to meet with us," Cashman told reporters during the GM meetings, per Heyman. "He understands the landscape of opportunities that now exist for himself. He's played in San Diego. He's played in Washington. Now he's played here. So we are more than willing to meet as many times as he would like to meet."
At least five other clubs beyond the Mets and Yankees, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Toronto Blue Jays, have reportedly reached out to Boras about Soto. However, the overwhelming belief is that both New York teams are the front-runners.
Soto and Boras are expected to sit down with other team owners over the next few weeks, according to Puma.
Only one position player - Judge - has accrued more fWAR than Soto since his rookie season in 2018.