The Mets’ miserable 2024 season may be hurting their chances at landing Juan Soto in free agency this offseason.
On the “Foul Territory” show on Thursday, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal suggested that the star outfielder could spurn Queens thanks to the teams’ dysfunction.
“Is Juan Soto going to want to walk into Citi Field and play for this team when he might have an equal or better offer from another team?” Rosenthal asked. “… All things being equal, why would he go there? They have not shown a track record of success of late. It’s, in fact, been something of a messy situation for several years now.”
Rosenthal doubled down on his doubts of a Mets-Soto marriage on his own digital show, “Fair Territory,” suggesting that not even Steve Cohen’s deep pockets could lure Soto from the crosstown rival Yankees or another big money bidder.
“We know money talks, right? Juan Soto, represented by Scott Boras, is going to the highest bidder,” Rosenthal said. “And if the Mets are the highest bidder, maybe they get Juan Soto. But two things. One, the Mets need more than Juan Soto. And two, Juan Soto is no dummy. He sees what’s going on over there. He sees what has gone on the past couple of years and really for quite a bit longer than that […] If I’m Juan Soto, I’m thinking twice about this whole thing.”
Soto is in the midst of a career season as he prepares to hit free agency for the first time this winter, hitting .312/.415/.584 with 15 home runs for the AL-best Yankees.
The 25-year-old is expected to get somewhere in the range of $400-$500 million on the open market.
The Mets, who are 10 games below .500 at 23-33 ahead of their Friday night contest in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, have had a bleak first two months of the season on and off the field.
This week, clubhouse discontent spilled out into the public after reliever Jorge Lopez tossed his glove into the stands as he walked off the field following his ejection during a Wednesday loss to the Dodgers.
After that game, Francisco Lindor called a players-only meeting as he and his teammates tried to keep this season from spiraling out of control.
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