Michael Kay thinks this team really wants Juan Soto
By Max Weisman
The Juan Soto sweepstakes are underway and the premiere free agent for 2025 has already met with the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and New York Mets and he will meet with the Los Angeles Dodgers soon. Soto, at 26 years old, is entering the prime of his career and is set to sign a massive deal. According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, Soto will likely sign a deal worth $600 million or more.
While Soto was a Yankee in 2024, the Mets have a slight advantage in that their owner, Steve Cohen, is the richest in the MLB. The Mets had the highest payroll in 2024, more than $317 million and it seems they're preparing to have the league's highest payroll again. On his afternoon show on ESPN New York, Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said he heard Cohen is willing to pay Soto $50 million more than the next highest offer.
Kay says Cohen is wiling to go $50 million over whatever anyone else offers Juan Soto, and he doesn’t think the Yanks will be near the $660 million for 15 years that Carlos Baerga said was on the table pic.twitter.com/QjedLqfgWb
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"I'll put it this way, and this is not something that Yankee fans are going to want to hear," Kay said. "I've heard from someone at Baseball Today that [Steve] Cohen's willing to go $50 million over whatever anybody offers. So it looks like the Mets really want to get this guy."
Kay referenced unconfirmed reports from Carlos Baerga that the Mets initial offer to Soto is $660 million. If that is true, other teams will have a hard time matching that.
Kay added that he thinks Scott Boras, Soto's agent, is trying to get the deal closer to $700 million to rival the record contract signed by Shohei Ohtani last offseason. Kay doesn't believe the Yankees would go anywhere near that.
It's important to remember that Baerga was a Boras client during his playing days, so that $660 million number could be a strategic leak to get owners willing to pay more.
The Soto sweepstakes will be the most followed story during the offseason, and whoever signs him will have to pony up and pay a lot of money.
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