DALLAS – Talk about a New York City robbery. It wasn’t just the high-paid jewelry the Mets stole from the Yankees; Steve Cohen also stole the title.
Less than two months after Juan Soto helped lead the Yankees to the World Series, Cohen’s Mets hit him Sunday with the largest contract in professional sports history. Soto ended up reaching the highest bidder – the Mets’ reported deal with the slugger is $765 million over 15 years. But the Yankees’ offer apparently wasn’t far behind, making it questionable whether Soto wanted to play in Queens all along.
If that is the case, then there may be several things that have brought him to one place.
The Yankees’ reported offer of $760 million over 16 years would have given Soto an average annual value of $47.5 million, just $3.5 million a year shy of what he will earn with the Mets. Soto’s deal with the Mets reportedly includes a $75 million signing bonus. If that difference in dollar value is what mattered to Soto, then it makes sense that he accepted the highest offer on the table. But since the Yankees’ offer was so close to what he ended up accepting, it seems like Soto wanted to make a statement that both fan bases in New York wouldn’t take lightly.
Related: The 10 biggest contracts in MLB history: $765 million for Juan Soto and the Mets top roster
The Mets — not the Yankees — represented an attractive long-term destination for Soto in part because of how much money they were willing to spend, no doubt. But Cohen also prioritizes getting to know the people in his organization — from players, office workers, to security personnel — on an intimate level. He built that relationship by showing up on the field, going to the Mets clubhouse, and just being available and around. Cohen’s wife, Alex, spends time hanging around the Mets dugout, catching up with players during batting practice. It’s rare for any professional sports owner to be as visible as the Cohens are to the Mets. Just look at the situation across town.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t socialize in the clubhouse, and he rarely shows up at Yankee Stadium to talk to his players. One former Yankees player who spent eight seasons in pinstripes said he spoke to Steinbrenner only once or twice during his time in the Bronx. Steinbrenner has a close relationship with captain Aaron Judge, especially after Judge’s 2022 free agency that led to Steinbrenner getting the call and finalizing a long-term deal with the Yankees slugger. Judge confirmed as recently as last month that he has an open line of communication with Steinbrenner, and he appreciates that availability to the owner.
Obviously, Steinbrenner doesn’t share the same sentiment as many in the building, let alone the guy who was his No. 1 starter this winter. Soto asked Steinbrenner, when the two sides met in California last month, why he didn’t bring him closer this past season in the Bronx, and wondered why the owner didn’t try to build a closer relationship with Soto. Steinbrenner, right or wrong, said he wanted to give Soto space because he was locked in, enjoying his best career season, and he didn’t want to get in the way.
In the end, waiting to build a close relationship with Soto may have been a big mistake on Steinbrenner’s part.
Cohen’s players often say how much they love playing for the Mets because it feels like family. There is an open trust at Citi Field, especially in this David Stearns/Carlos Mendoza era. Mets players say they feel like they could be in Queens.
A recent moment that painted a picture of the Cohens feeling like “one of the boys” for left-hander Sean Manaea was when Alex Cohen’s father, known as the Mets grandpa, was doused with champagne in the middle of their clubhouse after pitching. the National League Championship Series.
With those daily appearances, Cohen sends a message that he cares about his team. And for players going through a 162-game season, hoping to reach October and ultimately be the last team standing, having that open relationship with the top in the organization is so important. Shortstop and de-facto captain Francisco Lindor says: It takes every single person in the organization to win, and that includes the responsibility of ownership to build a close relationship with the players, the front office works hard to fill the holes in the list. , and the manager stuck in his workshop.
As the MLB winter meetings unfold in Dallas this week, Cohen’s commitment to winning has never been clearer.
No one was going to stop him from acquiring Soto, certainly not the crosstown rival Yankees or MLB’s luxury tax exemption, when all he had to do was continue to increase his contribution. When Cohen bought the Mets franchise in 2020, he said he wanted to win the World Series in the next 3-5 years. Next season will be Year 5. Snatching Soto from the Yankees was a statement-making move in that tournament, and the Mets are in danger of winning it all with a general slugger who has worn the orange and blue — for the next decade and a half.
Welcome to the new era of Mets baseball, where his little brother may have just become a bully.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. He previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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