Reading over Jon Heyman's report regarding the New York Mets' meeting with Juan Soto, you will quickly realize the Yankees aren't a lock at all to re-sign Soto in what will be an astronomical contract. First, the meeting went very well for the Mets, says Heyman, and the Mets are even feeling optimistic about their chances of landing the 26-year-old slugger.
Of course, the Mets aren't the only team looking to topple the Yankees' chances at landing Soto. The Boston Red Sox are also believed to be looking at returning to the postseason next year and are very interested in Soto. The biggest spenders, however, are likely to be the Mets and Yankees, who can likely be dubbed as the two favorites.
As Fansided's Mark Powell mentioned earlier (via Hector Gomez), the Mets are willing to offer more money, while the Yankees may think higher AAV and not as many years. Soto could hypothetically take a somewhat shorter deal if he wishes to bet on himself again in free agency down the road, but there's no telling what kind of production Soto will still create in a later stage of his career.
Suppose Soto wishes to secure the bag now and make as much guarantee as possible, but the Mets are a dangerous team to watch. Owner Steve Cohen will have no problem shelling out as much cash as it takes if they can swing him from the Bronx to Queens.
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Whatever upper hand the Mets create for themselves needs to be 100 percent matched by the Yankees to leave no room to lose the slugging superstar who hasn't even entered his prime yet.
Offering a higher AAV is one route, but they also need to show a willingness to provide him with as many years as possible. The Yankees can ill afford to leave Soto thinking about whether he could have "this" with the Yankees or "that" with the Mets.
As Heyman stated, talks are only in the middle innings, and it's unclear if formal offers have been made yet. Both teams will likely counter each other's offers to Soto's liking, and it will come down to a matter of when Soto himself wants to play. It won't be until he signs that MLB free agency will take off.
