Abbey Mastracco: What Juan Soto’s contract says about the Mets

DALLAS — This is the moment New York Mets fans have been waiting for.

No offense to the Collin Cowgills and Shaun Marcums of the world, or any of the other relatively forgettable offseason acquisitions of years past. David Wright signing his $138 million extension or Yoenis Cespedes signed his own $110 million contract cannot begin to compare. Juan Soto choosing the Mets over the Yankees legitimizes the team in an entirely different way.

The momentous acquisitions of the Wilpon years pale in comparison to Soto agreeing with the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract. Make no mistake, the Mets are now the big brother and the Yankees are the little ones. The 27 banners might fly up in the Bronx but over in Queens, the prevailing thought is that if they get even one with Soto, the money will be worth it.

But Cohen wants more than one.

The Yankees came close, reportedly offering an extra year but only $5 million less. However, it’s unclear exactly how that contract was structured. This contract has no deferred money, an opportunity for him to opt out at age 31 and a $75 million signing bonus.

It’s a double-edged sword, as all long-term pacts are because you pay for the prime and accept the decline. But all things considered, it’s a good deal for both parties. If Soto wants to try free agency again after five seasons, the Mets can override his opt out by adding an additional $4 million per season to the final 10 years of his contract.

News broke Sunday night, one night before the winter meetings at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. As baseball staffers, agents and media members alike started to congregate around the hotel’s central bar, the conversation, predictably, was dominated by Soto. A narrative soon took hold: Cohen was holding up a proverbial middle finger to the Yankees.

Maybe there is some truth to it and maybe there isn’t, but no one can question the fact that Cohen wants to turn the Mets into a juggernaut. The hedge fund billionaire and lifelong Mets fan wants to win championships and has already shown that he isn’t afraid to make bold moves in pursuit of that goal.

The Wilpon family tried for years to take the spotlight off the Yankees, and yet the headlines they generated were due mostly to their own mismanagement. Even once Steve Cohen bought the team following the 2020 season, the Mets stayed the Mets, with off-field bungles and on-field foibles, and sometimes a mix of both. They were behind in areas like player development and technology. They weren’t a marquee destination for marquee free agents, but rather a place to revive your career.

But then came Francisco Lindor and his 10-year deal, and the ground began to shift.

Hal Steinbrenner had to feel it; his fanbase certainly did.

The Mets bulked out their analytics department, made some updates to the facilities and started listening to what players wanted. The upgraded family room has proven popular and players regularly talk about how great the Mets treat them and their families.

But for a team to get to a point where it can attract elite talent, it has to win. The Mets believe they have found a winning combination with president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza. They have Francisco Lindor contending for MVP awards and Mark Vientos emerging as a slugging star.

However, there is still work to do. The team has to figure out what they’re going to do at first base and third base and those are likely long-term moves to get Soto some lineup protection. They’ve fielded calls about third baseman Brett Baty, but it’s not clear as to whether or not they would consider trading him for pitching. Vientos could stay at third where he is a capable defender and the Mets could bring back Pete Alonso at first base.

Starling Marte might have to move to DH to accommodate his fellow Dominican next season, likely his last in a Mets uniform. Soto may end up as a DH eventually as well, but if a player making that type of money wants to play in right field, he gets to play in right field.

Stearns doesn’t seem to have an appetite for long-term pitching contracts, but Kodai Senga and David Peterson are pretty good foundational pieces. The rotation has some projects this year, with the long-term future of the pitching staff unknown. But these are things the Mets can start to plan for now that the Mets have Soto for at least five years.

Every time a generational player emerged, it seemed like it was a foregone conclusion that he would end up in pinstripes. That was the Yankee way, throwing money at every big-name free agent and being unafraid to build the best team money can buy.

It’s no longer the Yankee way, but it might soon be the Mets way.

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