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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 5276628, member: 289"] [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5980567/2024/12/09/juan-soto-steve-cohen-mets-free-agent/?source=athletic_pulsenewsletter&campaign=11942467&userId=5973799[/URL] "Cohen was not going to defer to the Yankees, the way he did in 2022 when Aaron Judge flirted with other teams before signing his nine-year, $360 million contract to remain in the Bronx. But Cohen’s eagerness to spend — and the possibility of poaching a superstar from a crosstown rival — was just one aspect of this perfect storm. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner acknowledged the pressure to retain Soto at MLB’s recent owners’ meetings in Manhattan, telling reporters: “I know what’s expected of me.” [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5981844/2024/12/09/mets-juan-soto-contract-record/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=5973799[/URL] "First, it’s because of his age. Players almost never hit free agency ahead of their age-26 season, let alone ones as accomplished as Soto. At 26, Soto is still younger than Adley Rutschman or Cole Ragans...Second, Soto landed on the open market with the right teams looking to make a splash. He had just posted a career season to help lead the Yankees to their first pennant in 15 years; they had to bring him back. The Mets and Steve Cohen had the willingness and capability to push the price to infinity." [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5969413/2024/12/08/juan-soto-mets-contract-steve-cohen/?source=athletic_pulsenewsletter&campaign=11942467&userId=5973799[/URL] "All those wisecracks, shared routinely for decades, about being second-rate to the New York Yankees ceased on Sunday night because owner Steve Cohen lured superstar Juan Soto to the New York Mets with his vision and with his billions. Ever since Cohen took control of the franchise in 2020, the Mets have operated differently, taking lavish shots and flexing financial muscle. But landing Soto, a transformative moment for the franchise, stands out as seismic." [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5981498/2024/12/09/mets-juan-soto-contract-payroll/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=5973799[/URL] "So what does this mean for New York’s payroll over, say, the next 15 seasons? Well, get used to the luxury tax." [Will the Yankees now go after Pete Alonso to stick it to the Mets?] [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5982409/2024/12/09/juan-soto-mets-yankees-signing-analysis/?source=athletic_pulsenewsletter&campaign=11942467&userId=5973799[/URL] "The Mets have also signed a few pitchers to shore up a rotation that had three starters who qualified for the ERA title and all three hit free agency, with one, Luis Severino, already signed elsewhere. Kodai Senga should be back, and both Paul Blackburn and David Peterson are nice fifth starters, but the Mets needed to get some top-end starters to make the team both stronger in the regular season and, more importantly, a bigger threat in October." [/QUOTE]

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