How the Mets Landed Juan Soto
Pinch yourself, it’s real. The Mets did sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto to a franchise-altering 15-year, $765 million contract Sunday evening. Soto’s contract not only eclipsed Shohei Ohtani‘s 10-year, $700 million deal he signed in the 2023 offseason, but it’s the largest contract in professional sports history. After being one of the most sought-after free agents even years before he became one, only a select few teams could afford the future Hall of Famer. The Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers all remained in the bidding, but ultimately, it came down to the two New York teams. The rest is now history.
Below is a deep dive into how the Mets landed their white whale.
Early Stages
When Soto was still taking general meetings with teams, they all took place in a neutral, undisclosed room in Orange County close to agent Scott Boras’ headquarters. However, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets’ meeting with Soto occurred at Steve Cohen’s mansion in Beverly Hills. Cohen and his staff of seven served a Latin lunch to Soto, Boras, and 12 other diners. After, they watched a film curated by the Mets specifically for Soto in Cohen’s theatre room. In comparison, other teams likely use PowerPoint to make their presentations. Cohen and the Mets went above and beyond in this case.
Cohen’s wife and co-owner of the team, Alex Cohen, was among those at the lunch. In addition, Cohen’s father-in-law (a Mets fan-favorite) and team travel secretary Edgar Suero were present to explain the logistics and travel perks that came with signing with the Mets. The Mets received excellent intel, discovering that an “overzealous Yankees security guy disallowed a Soto family member and chef/driver from certain areas.” Once again, Cohen used this information to his advantage.
Personal Touch
In a piece for The Athletic, Will Sammon discusses Cohen’s personal touch in his free agent signings. In his November meeting at his Beverly Hills home, which Cohen requested took place there, the Mets owner discussed his background, relationships, and what made him successful. It’s a touch he’s done with many of his high-end free agent signings like Francisco Lindor, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. While he wines and dines them, there’s a warmth to it. Cohen makes sure to get the message across that he wants to build a team like it’s a family and a community. That’s how he takes care of his players. The perfect example is when Edwin Díaz suffered a torn patellar tendon in the World Baseball Classic. Cohen hired him a private chef and trainer and flew him up for Opening Day.
Soto’s Opinion
While this is all speculative, one thing is certain. According to SNY’s Andy Martino, Soto “articulated to David Stearns and Steve Cohen throughout the process that he believed Cohen.” Instead of viewing him as just a checkbook, he believed that Cohen cared about the team and saw that based on how he’s handled the team the past four years.
There may be some belief that because of the length of Soto’s contract, he felt stronger about the Mets’ future compared to the Yankees. ESPN’s Jeff Passan said, “In the end, I think Juan Soto looked at the Mets’ future, and he looked at the Yankees’ future and decided the Mets had a better future than the Yankees.”