Thursday, the Dishes held an introductory press conference for Juan Sotothe most sought-after free agent of the offseason, after signing a massive deal to join the Mets for the next 15 years.
This moment was pivotal in franchise history, not only for landing the most noteworthy free agent available, but also for signing him to a record contract worth $765 million, which is the most big contract in the history of professional sport.
Mets Owner Steve Cohen explained further how the deal was made and said: “It was not an easy process. »
“There were so many emotions, it took about 10 days and so many emotions to get to where we got to, but I always say that’s not how you start, it’s that’s how we end,” Cohen said. “And we did it.”
” He added: “There were many times when I felt like we were swimming against the tide, not knowing if we were going to reach the promised land. Even the night of the deal, I was having dinner with a friend. at a restaurant in Florida and I went out to answer a call, came back and said “I don’t think we’ll have it.”
“So about half an hour later everything completely turned around and all of a sudden I realized ‘wow, we’re not that far apart, this can happen.’ And so it’s quite emotional in a very short period of time.
The process began with the New York contingent – consisting of Cohen, president of baseball operations. David Stearnsdirector Carlos Mendoza and others – meeting with Soto and his agent Scott Boras in California. The meeting took place at Cohen’s Beverly Hills mansion, which Soto called “really, really nice” on Thursday, as he said with a laugh.
There, the Mets made their pitch to the outfielder.
However, many other teams, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Blue Jays, were interested in Soto’s services and a bidding war ensued.
“It was a competitive process,” Cohen said. “There were a lot of teams involved and it was hard to know where you stood and it was a moving target, wasn’t it? Things were changing day by day, and so there were times when you start to wonder if you’re going to make it in this field. But in the end, I got the call I wanted.
After their first meeting, Cohen requested a second meeting with Soto, in order to get to know him better as a person.
“If I was going to commit that kind of money, I wanted to feel like it was going to work,” Cohen said. “And after the second meeting, I knew it could really be good for both of us.”
Ultimately, New York had the highest offer and got their guy, but it was also the Mets’ pitch and their plans for the future that convinced Soto to join them in Queens.
“What they showed me, how the organization runs things and how they’re going to run things and how they view their future, I think, is one of the things that opened my eyes a little bit more ” said Soto.
He added that he was impressed by the Mets’ “hunger” to win a championship and create a “dynasty” in New York. In fact, during one of their meetings, Soto asked Cohen how many championships he wanted to win in the next decade and the Mets owner told him 2-4.
“I’m so happy to be part of this dynasty that they want to create now and for the future,” Soto said. “I will be here for 15 years, God willing, trying to win as many championships as possible and asserting myself every day.”
Of course, Soto decided to leave the Yankees and join the Mets, which is an unprecedented move, but one that speaks to the magnitude of what began to happen with Cohen as owner.
After the press conference, Soto was asked about the possibility of leaving the Bronx and joining the crosstown rivals.
“I don’t think it’s the Mets versus the Yankees,” Soto said. “I think we had five teams on the table. I don’t think it had anything to do with the Mets or the Yankees, I think all five of our teams pushed until the last minute.
He added: “I feel like (the Yankees) did everything they could to bring me back, but four other teams were doing the same thing and trying to make me comfortable. At the end of the day we look at everything, we look at the opportunities and what other teams want to do for the next 15 years and I think we have the best chance to win here.
