Mets star Francisco Lindor has been recruiting free agent Juan Soto

The Juan Soto free agency sweepstakes are starting to heat up, and Mets star Francisco Lindor is involved.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that the Mets' push for Soto has "gotten a hand" from Lindor, who has "taken a role in recruiting Soto."

Passan notes that Lindor "would love another star in Queens."

It was reported last week that the Mets have a meeting on the books with Soto for this week in California, with Steve Cohen expected to attend.

In addition to the Mets and Yankees, Soto is drawing interest from the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Rays, and others.

It's impossible to envision a scenario where Soto winds up with the light-spending Rays, and the Dodgers don't make much sense for him given their massive salary commitments and need for high-end starting pitching.

Per Passan, the Blue Jays have the first meeting with Soto this week, followed by the Red Sox, Mets, and Yankees.

It is expected that Soto, who is represented by Scott Boras, will sign a deal worth $600 million or more, potentially for 13 or 14 years.

The 26-year-old rejected a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals in 2022 before he was traded to the Padres -- and later dealt to the Yankees.

As the Mets pursue Soto, they'll be doing so from a position of strength and flexibility as it pertains to their payroll situation.

The Mets -- whose 2024 payroll was pockmarked by money owed to players who were no longer playing for them -- have around only $150 million committed for 2025, which is a figure that includes the roughly $18 million earmarked for player benefits.

The above figure will go up with arbitration raises owed to a handful of players, but the Mets will have an incredible amount of flexibility regardless.

For reference, the Mets ended the 2024 season with a payroll of $356.2 million, which included the luxury tax penalties that were owed.

New York's projected 40-man roster obligations from 2026 to 2029 also have them in an advantageous spot, with the Mets on the hook for the following, via Cot's Baseball Contracts:

2026: $119.8 million
2027: $107.8 million
2028: $74.7 million
2029: $75.2 million