New York Mets star Francisco Lindor is doing his part to keep Juan Soto in the Big Apple, albeit in a different borough.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the Mets and New York Yankees are the two favorites to land the decorated slugger and have meetings with him set up.
“The Mets’ pursuit has gotten a hand from shortstop Francisco Lindor, who would love another star in Queens and has taken a role in recruiting Soto, while the Yankees can point to Soto’s excellence in the Bronx this season as a precursor for more,” per Passan.
Soto is by far the best hitter on the market this offseason.
The 26-year-old put together some of his best work in 2024 with the Yankees. He led the American League in runs scored (128) while posting 41 home runs, 109 RBI and a .288/.419/.569 slash line. His 178 OPS+ was his highest ever over a full 162-game season, per Baseball Reference.
Given Soto’s expected price tag, his list of realistic suitors is pretty small. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected him to get $611 million over 13 years.
The Mets are among those with the financial resources to match a valuation that large. Since 2021, Steve Cohen’s full season as team owner, they haven’t had an Opening Day payroll that ranked lower than third.
New York has some flexibility this winter, too, thanks to the money coming off its books. Pete Alonso, Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, Luis Severino, J.D. Martinez and Harrison Bader combined to have an average salary of $83 million.
In an August interview with Passan, Lindor entertained the possibility of joining forces with Soto.
“When it comes to the outfielder from across our borough, he’s having a fantastic year and I hope he goes out there and breaks every record out there when it comes to getting paid,” he said. “If it’s with us, it’ll be fantastic. He’ll help us a lot.”
Lindor can make a compelling sales pitch on the Mets’ behalf. Beyond the fact the team reached the NLCS this year, the star shortstop has only seen his profile grow in Queens while asserting his status as one of the top talents on the Senior Circuit.
