The New York Mets have lofty goals this winter, and baseball’s richest owner appears to be leading the way.
When Steve Cohen purchased the Mets at the end of the 2020 season, everything about the team changed in an instant. Cohen’s first big move was purchasing superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, and the Mets have since become the league’s largest spenders.
This winter, the Mets are pursuing the biggest name on the free-agent market. According to Forbes, Cohen’s real-time net worth is $21.3 billion, which might offer them the ultimate advantage in that high-stakes hunt.
Cohen and the Mets would love to see superstar outfielder Juan Soto in Queens, but they’d also like to get him away from their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, opposing Major League Baseball executives believe the Mets are the most likely team to sign Soto, owing to Cohen’s willingness to outbid the Yankees and anyone else who may be interested in making a bid.
“The Mets are the clear-cut favorite, executives say, simply because they don’t believe there’s a soul who will outbid owner Steve Cohen, while Yankees have a price in mind that they don’t want to exceed,” Nightengale told the media.
Soto, 26, is hoping to sign a contract for at least $600 million this winter, and Cohen appears to be the most probable owner to spend that much money. It would be the largest contract ever awarded in terms of present-day value, considering Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million agreement was over 98% delayed.
According to Nightengale, the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox are the most likely teams outside of New York to pursue Soto.
Landing Soto would be a watershed moment for Cohen as an owner, and it would propel the Mets to the top of the World Series standings after falling within two games of the Fall Classic this year.
At this point, the Mets will be disappointed if they miss out on Soto, regardless of where he signs. Cohen has identified his man, and now he must prove that he can land him.
