Although it is considered a favorite to land Juan Soto since becoming a free agent this offseason (let’s be honest, even before that), Dishes owner Steve Cohen had doubts that the 26-year-old slugger would end up choosing Queens.
Yet he persisted and remained tenacious in his attempt to woo the superstar free agent.
Friday, according to Jon Heyman of the NY PostCohen and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns actually held a last-minute secret meeting with Soto, his agent Scott Boras and members of Soto’s inner circle at Cohen’s Boca Raton home. (For what it’s worth, their first meeting with Soto and Co. took place at Cohen’s Beverly Hills mansion.)
And even though the meeting went well, Cohen couldn’t help but think Soto was going to stay in the Bronx.
In fact, Cohen wasn’t convinced that — despite being the owner most motivated to sign Soto — he could compete with history, tradition, consistency and, of course, Aaron judges hitting behind Soto in the lineup.
“I was logical. When you have Judge, it’s hard to beat that,” Cohen said. “Juan was great. But what they had…I didn’t know how to fix it.”
And yet, after the incredible season Judge and Soto had in their only season together in pinstripes, one in which they reached the World Series, Soto chose the crosstown rival Mets as his destination, something that Cohen, who called the process “opaque” until the end, couldn’t believe it.
To their credit, the Mets had an incredible season last year (in what was supposed to be a transition year) that ended with a six-game NLCS run against the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers. They did it too, with fun, laughter and, yes, memes.
While the circus that tends to surround the Mets usually spells disaster, the 2024 season felt more like a carnival — one that people can’t wait to line up for. Clearly, Soto was one of those people.
Sure, Cohen and the Mets offered Soto the most money, $51 million per year over 15 years (numbers that may rise, btw), but the Yankees’ offer was similar and they were the holders. (The Yankees had the chance to match the Mets’ offer, but they declined.) That is, Soto chose the Mets, and by extension Cohen and Stearns who gained Soto’s trust for the whole process.
Perhaps a small gesture, Cohen was also able to give Soto something the Yankees weren’t willing to do: a suite at Citi Field for the outfielder’s family. The Yankees always made their players pay for a sequel and felt they couldn’t change their precedent. Small gesture or not, what happened next may have put the Mets over the top.
Since Cohen purchased the team in 2020, he has made it clear that he not only wants to win, but also wants to change the culture and perception of the Mets. And while he wasn’t sure Soto would choose Queens, the fact that he did (and against the Yankees, no less) is a clear sign that Cohen is succeeding in his mission to bring the Mets to new heights.
