Is signing Shohei Ohtani or trading for Juan Soto the better move for the Mets?

The New York Mets have done a lot under the fat wallet of Steve Cohen. They've traded and extended Francisco Lindor. They've broken records with short term contracts with Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. The Mets have even paid players to go away on more than one occasion. Scherzer and Verlander were two of them.

Cohen's money is the club's most dangerous weapon. Will it go to use once more?

This offseason could offer the Mets the opportunity to add a true superstar to the roster. One is free agent Shohei Ohtani. The other is trade candidate Juan Soto. Each brings something entirely different. Who would you rather have?

Pros of the Mets signing Shohei Ohtani

No one can do what Ohtani can. Until a late season injury knocked him out of being available to pitch next year, he was the obvious one for the Mets to go after. Now it's not quite as clear.

The biggest pro with Ohtani is it'll only cost money. The farm system remains intact. Not a single piece of the future is lost. The Mets gain a power hitting DH and a pitcher as of 2025 as long as he heals. What's to question?

Cons of the Mets signing Shohei Ohtani

Do we even know for sure Ohtani will come back and pitch well? Not even Miss Cleo has the answer. The Mets could very well end up with an expensive designated hitter. It's not terribly bad if he's consistently clobbering 45 home runs yet it feels overpriced when he doesn't play the field.

The amount of money the Mets will need to pay Ohtani, and at his age, is insane. If he's only hitting, Ohtani falls well short of a $400 million deal and probably should get less than $300 million. What makes him so special is his ability to pitch so amazingly well in addition to hitting for power.

You need to be confident enough that you'll get innings from him on the mound. Right now, nothing feels too certain. How long can a guy seriously stay as great as he has been?