For the New York Mets, this offseason was all about Juan Soto. When you have an owner like Steve Cohen who can and will throw his financial weight around to land top talent and arguably the most desirable free agent in history becomes available, that is the moment to strike.
To begin the offseason, the Mets did everything they could to prepare to beat any other offer for Soto. Instead of playing at the top of the free agent market like they easily could've, they "settled" for Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes through the early portion of the offseason. Again, for every dollar they saved elsewhere, it could go to Soto. That is what mattered.
Well, the plan worked, as Juan Soto agreed to a record-breaking deal with the Mets late on Sunday night with an earth-shattering 15-year, $765 million price tag.
Mets News: New York lands Juan Soto on insane 15-year, $765 million deal
There is going to be a lot of reflecting on the enormity of this deal in the coming days. Given Soto's talent, production, and age, he was always a threat to surpass the guarantee that Shohei Ohtani got from the Dodgers last offseason. Not only did Soto break Ohtani's record, he absolutely shattered it, and now the Mets have the marquee signing that fans have been clamoring for (to put it mildly).
With Soto in tow, the Mets are once again going to be a force to be reckoned with in the National League. The only question now is whether or not Cohen and the Mets' front office are done this offseason, or do they have even more moves up their sleeves? Even if the Mets don't do anything else, landing a generational talent and one of the absolute best hitters of this era (or any era) for the next decade and a half is going to resonate for years and years to come. We'll worry about that opt out after Year 5 when the time comes.
With Pete Alonso still a free agent, making first base a very open question, and other roster spots potentially in need of some love, don't be surprised if New York seizes this opportunity and pushes even more of their chips in. After all, you don't sign Juan freaking Soto just to rest on your laurels.