Juan Soto expected to hold weekend meetings before making final decision
We appear to be heading into the final days of Soto Watch. Plus, what the Mets could, and should, do if they miss out on the superstar slugger...
What’s Up with the Mets? 🍎
The Mets officially signed RHP Frankie Montas to a two-year contract with an opt-out after the 2025 season
Juan Soto is expected to hold meetings with his camp this weekend before a final decision is made, which could come before the Winter Meetings begin on Monday, Dec. 9 (ESPN)
In what could be down to a three-team race between the Mets, Yankees and Red Sox, the Yankees believe they will get a chance to top the final offer (SNY)
Soto owns a career 1.175 OPS at Citi Field, and that could be used as a late selling point (NY Post)
2B Jose Iglesias said that despite enjoying the free agent process, he’s very open to the idea of returning to the Mets. He also intends to drop a new song next year (Newsday)
Rumor Mill 💨
The Yankees had “very positive” Zoom meetings with free agent starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried on Wednesday (New York Post)
Both the Yankees and the Giants are among the teams to have expressed interest in free agent shortstop Willy Adames (MLB.com)
The Mariners have kicked the tires on corner infielders Alec Bohm (Phillies) and Nico Hoerner (Cubs) in trade talks (Seattle Times)
RHP Michael Soroka is drawing more interest as a starter than a reliever, with the Mets one of the reported teams in on the 27-year-old (The Athletic)
What the Mets could do if they miss out on Juan Soto… ✍️
The entire baseball world remains on Juan Soto watch, and that will remain the case until the generational hitter makes his landscape-altering decision.
Per the latest reports, that decision could come as early as the end of the weekend with Soto set to stage meetings with his representatives before coming to a final decision on his next destination. The general consensus is that we should know who the lucky winners of the Juan Soto sweepstakes are by the end of the Winter Meetings at the very latest.
Until then, speculation will continue to rage, and annoying social media accounts pretending to be in the know will continue to willingly stoke the flames. Ultimately, there is only one man on the entire planet who knows where Soto is going to sign or is leaning towards signing, and that’s Soto himself.
So, until we get concrete word from the Soto camp, we won’t truly know where the marquee free agent is going to land.
Of course, the Mets remain the favorites in the eyes of most experts, with owner Steve Cohen’s sheer spending power obviously a huge advantage. However, there still remains a world in which Soto opts to return to the Bronx with the Yankees or decides to take his talents to Fenway Park and sign with the Red Sox. You can never truly count the Dodgers out, either, god forbid.
In the sobering instance that the Mets do miss out on Soto, what should they do next?
It is a good question with no straightforward answers, so I’m going to try and hazard my best guesses here…
Firstly, if the Mets do lose out on signing one of the best hitters we’ve ever seen play the beautiful game of baseball, then bringing back Pete Alonso to add some punch to the lineup would take on even more importance. The Mets can seemingly live without Alonso if they have Soto, but they would arguably need their homegrown slugger more than ever if Soto ends up elsewhere. You at least know what you are getting with Alonso. Or, alternatively, if the front office decides against giving Alonso big money and a long-term contract, shifting Mark Vientos over to first and trading for third baseman Nolan Arenado could make a lot of sense. Arenado, despite regressing offensively over the last couple of years, would make the Mets a much better team defensively at the hot corner.
Although Soto is by far the biggest superstar available this winter, there are other big names to be had. Willy Adames hit 32 home runs and 33 doubles with 112 RBIs in 2024, and he is reportedly open to playing at second or third. Alex Bregman, who has hit 20 or more homers in each of his last three seasons, would be another compelling option at third and would bring a ton of winning experience and big-game know-how with him to Queens.
Should the Mets fail to sign Soto, it is the outfield that would need paying special attention to, though. Having Soto out in right field would be a game-changer for this team for the next decade plus. Without him, the outfield offense looks incredibly weak. Brandon Nimmo has been streaky the past couple of years. The tandem of Tyrone Taylor and Jose Siri will hardly provide offensive fireworks. And Starling Marte has struggled to stay on the field. Therefore, pivoting to Anthony Santander if the pursuit of Soto fails would be the next best thing for the Mets. Santander is coming off a career year having slugged 44 home runs with 102 RBIs for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024. He earned his first All-Star appearance after hitting .235/.308/.506/.814. Okay, Santander isn’t Soto, not even in the same stratosphere, but he would add some pop to the lineup and would come at a much cheaper cost, allowing the Mets to do some other things too.
Other outfield options include Teoscar Hernández, who hit 33 home runs during the regular season last year and who was clutch in the playoffs as the Dodgers won the World Series. Jurickson Profar, if he’s willing to play right field, could be another low-risk, high-reward type player after enjoying a career year with the Padres in 2024.
Outside of hitting, the Mets would seemingly have even more money to spend on starting pitching if they miss out on Soto. That could mean even more aggressive runs at the likes of Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, two of the best starters available on the open market this offseason. I’ve opined before in this space on why having a legit ace like Burnes could be really important for the Mets in 2025 and beyond.
Ultimately, everyone connected with the Mets wants Juan Soto to be in Queens and to be the face of this franchise for the foreseeable future. That goes without saying. Furthermore, if this team wants to close the gap on the Dodgers and move a step closer to winning a World Series, having a true generational superstar like Soto would obviously help.
On the flip side, however, it shouldn’t be considered the end of the world if Soto ultimately ends up pulling on another uniform. With an abundance of financial flexibility, there are a slew of high-end free agents out there for the Mets to choose from and build a World Series contender, even without Soto.
Around the League 🚩
KBO star Hyeseong Kim has officially been posted and he can now start negotiating with MLB teams (MLB.com)
Former big league right-hander Al Fitzmorris, who spent the majority of his career with the Royals, passed away at the age of 78
Perder a Soto no sería el fin del mundo. Soy de los que piensan que no hay que entrar en una subasta ilimitada. Le haría una oferta razonable y no me movería de ella. Si la aceptara demostraría que además del dinero tiene un interés especial por jugar en Queens.