LOS ANGELES — The Mets aren’t even officially in the Juan Soto sweepstakes yet, and the crosstown competition is already heating up. Weeks before the expected derby is to begin, a Yankees executive fired the first salvo.
“Going from the Yankees to the Mets … that’s a buzzkill,” one Yankees executive opined to The Post.
The Yankees, who, no surprise, are making Juan Soto their top priority this winter, logically envision the deep-pocketed, on-the-rise Mets as their biggest threat in the derby for the top free agent this winter.
The Yankees presumably only enhanced their chances to keep Soto by reaching the World Series for the first time in 15 years — with a big boost from Soto himself, of course — but they can see the threat from eight miles to the south and east.
The “buzzkill” comment provides a hint about the case the Yankees will make. It’s fair that the Yankees hold an edge in history, overall fan interest, and yes, buzz. It also shows where they see the competition coming from.
It makes sense the Mets could provide the most serious competition, thanks to the largesse of owner Steve Cohen, giving the Mets the ability to write Soto something close to a blank check. Soto first named winning as something to consider while talking about his impending free agency, and Cohen’s Mets also showed they are on the come by reaching the NLCS.
Soto on Thursday called this “one of the most fun seasons” he’s had, and while one friend confirmed he “loves it” as a Yankee, the friend also suggested there were some early speed bumps, and staying is certainly no certainty — which shouldn’t surprise anyone who chronicles free agency.
The Yankees executive named the Mets and the Blue Jays as among the perceived threats in the competition and started making the club’s case, pointing out the advantages of having the short porch of Yankee Stadium and, especially, an all-time great in Aaron Judge batting behind him. (No other team besides a potentially reconfigured Dodgers lineup could offer anything close to that sort of lineup protection, and the Mets’ own top slugger Pete Alonso is himself a free agent.)
Cohen didn’t play for Judge as a free agent two years ago, and in that case he probably understood it would be impossible to lure an all-time great Yankee who’s also homegrown. Soto’s Yankee ties aren’t nearly as strong, obviously, and he’s expected to seriously play the field, with a record deal possible.
Rival executives also suggest they view the Yankees and Mets as favorites, in that order, but many big-market teams (and maybe some smaller) are expected to play for Soto, possibly including the World Series foe Dodgers. The Giants and Jays are two teams that tried to trade for Soto before the Yankees completed the blockbuster five-for-two deal that brought him (and Trent Grisham) from San Diego.
Some suspect East Coast teams hold an advantage since Soto had an uneasy start in San Diego. But word is that late Padres owner Peter Seidler was making serious progress on a Soto deal before he took ill, ending talks.
Anyway, now many see this as a New York-New York battle royale. In a sense, it’s already begun.