So, have you heard that Juan Soto is now a member of the New York Mets?!
Yes, that was a little tongue-in-cheek comment there, but the conversation and narratives have been exhausting in various ways. Maybe it's because I live in the New York market, so the entire Mets vs. Yankees dynamic is at play and has to be examined from every angle, including whether Soto ever donned a slight sliver of orange giving reason why he made his home for the next fifteen years in Flushing, Queens.
For me, the answer is so straightforward. Money.
That's it.
Soto's free agency reminds me so much of what I experienced when I was a teenager with theAlex Rodriguez free agency. A-Rod made his way to the Texas Rangers in what once felt like earth-shattering money. He didn't go for the future. He didn't go for the school system. He didn't go for the tax breaks. In the moment, and still in hindsight, it felt like he should've stayed with the Mariners, or sign on with these same New York Mets.
But he went where the money came from. Same here.
$765 Million (likely $805M) speaks volumes. That's it. Period.
I'm still stunned even after almost a week of digesting it all. That's A LOT of money.
But, here we are.
A few other notes on everything Juan Soto and his free agency:
- Obviously, the Mets are big dogs now. And that has been said before with Steve Cohen utilizing his wealth to flex here. We now see it, and it's certainly an interesting dynamic not just for New York, but overall for the game of baseball.
- The Mets landing Soto as a baseball fan is interesting. It feels like a better fit - again if I put my non-partisan cap on.
- Mets fans feel like they want this to sting more than it actually does for Yankees fans. There are definitely some we-finally got-you and Mets fans who want all sorts of revenge, therapy, or cathartic responses in this ordeal.
- Whatever the reason, Soto chose the Mets over the Yankees.
- Be careful what you wish for Mets fans with all of this big-brother-little-brother complex - heavy is the crown. If you don't think scrutiny comes with all of this, just look at the Yankee fanbase. You will become what you most despise.
- The bottom line on the basics of everything Juan Soto to the Mets - the Mets got themselves an incredibly talented player.
- And...that contract is incredibly gross. This won't age well.
- Doubling down on this - let's check back in around 2033 - this contract is absolute lunacy.
- Yankees fans continue to be insufferable. Stop romanticizing the Yankees as if that aura should be enough. Soto was with the Yankees for one year, and obviously, didn't care.
- In the mix of all of the discussions, very rare has it been discussed that as great as Soto is, this will be his fourth team.
- On top of that...the Padres were a better team after his departure.
- I also believe Soto's departure allows the Yankees the flexibility and the opportunity to realign their philosophy. Instead of having multiple players out of position, which started with Soto in right field, who isn't a great defender, the domino effect can see Judge (a highly-rated defender) move back to right field and allow the Yankees to build the team with a vision and cohesion rather than a collection of talent.
- Don't get me wrong, you can't replace an individual talent like Soto. But you can make up for him in several areas.
- Can we stop with the "Hal is cheap!" narrative. The guy offered over $700M to try to keep Soto.
- Why do we do this dance in baseball where we want owners to spend money, yet, celebrate general managers (or demonize them) for not making shrewd moves?
- I can't imagine with all of this Winter Meetings stuff happening, how a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins, or some other small market is incapable of watching a guy sign for nearly the price their favorite franchise is worth.
- Soto just became the biggest heel in all of baseball. Forget Yankee fans and his "return" to Yankee Stadium. See Alex Rodriguez and the immense pressure he faced. Ohtani handled it well. Can Soto do the same?
- The bargaining for suites and other perks surely won't help hecklers on the road.
- Finally, after all of this...Soto one confident dude. To turn down $400M+ from the Nationals, to bet on yourself, and turn it into this mega deal - that's some inner fortitude that is worth admiring.