He’s The Juan

By Eddie Castro
Expect fireworks right out of the gates, when it comes to the Major League Baseball winter meetings some of baseball’s hottest free agents are on the market and both the Yankees and the Mets are expected to be in the middle of it all.

The Mets and The Yankees will look to address certain roster holes in hopes of taking the next step toward championship supremacy. With many star-studded names on the market, there was no name more wanted by teams than Juan Soto. Soto without a doubt is a generational type of player and the entire baseball world waited patiently for where he will call home.

It was the most highly anticipated decision since LeBron James announced he would be taking his talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat back in 2010. Late Sunday night, Soto decided to take his talents from the Bronx to Queens joining the New York Mets on a record 15-year/$765 million dollar contract.

The deal marks the richest contract in pro sports history shattering Shohei Othani’s $700 million deal he signed with the Dodgers just last year.

Soto 26, is coming off his best season as a pro in 2024 with a batting average of. 288,41 home runs (career-high), and 109 RBI which lead to Mets Owner Steve Cohen being more than willing to dig deep into his pockets and lure him (Soto)away from their cross-borough neighbors.

Soto will be paired with another Super Star in Francisco Lindor and with a really nice young core of players such as Mark Vientos and Luis-Angel Acuna. The Mets lineup will be a lot scarier for opposing pitchers to figure out in 2025. The Mets may not be done making moves this off-season. The team must address other needs such as pitching and bullpen depth. Cohen seems determined to put a much better product in Queens for next year.

It was not the happiest day for Yankee fans waking up this past Monday morning and hearing the news regarding their now former Super Star slugger. As the franchise pivots to a plan B, I would urge Yankee fans to NOT be discouraged. Losing a player of Soto’s caliber hurts and it will hurt for some time.

You simply cannot replace a talent like that. However, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner showed Yankees fans that he is indeed serious about upgrading the roster. The last offer from the Yankees to Soto’s camp was for 16 years at $760 million which is very uncharacteristic of Steinbrenner to be willing to overpay for a Superstar talent.

The message it sent Yankees fans is that he is willing to go out of his comfort zone to put out a winning product on the field. There are still many solid players the Yankees can shift to as a plan B. Players like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Anthony Santander, and Christian Walker are still on the Market as we go to press. There is also the possibility of engaging teams with trades in hopes of filling in the holes that the Yankees have. If General Manager Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner have the opportunity to spread around that $700-plus million they were willing to invest in Soto with several free-agent signings.

The question is, will they be aggressive enough to land any of the remaining top free-agent stars? If all goes to plan, Baseball for both teams will indeed feel like a five-star movie for both the Mets and Yankees. Get your popcorn ready OTP Universe!

SPORTS NOTES: (BASEBALL) : The New York Yankees and pitcher Max Fried agree on an 8-year/$218 million dollar contract. It is the largest contract ever for a left-handed pitcher. (Basketball) Karl-Anthony Towns will return to Minnesota for the first time since being traded to the Knicks this off-season tonight. Towns played his first 8 years with the Timberwolves. The Brooklyn Nets will head to Memphis to play the Grizzlies tomorrow night.