As Mets battle Yankees for Juan Soto, their argument will be much stronger than just money

After the Yankees lost the World Series to the Dodgers in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, the attention quickly turned to the uncertain future of Juan Soto, the pending free agent New York sent an absolute haul to San Diego for this past offseason.

And Soto, as has been the expectation all along, gave no indication that the Yankees would have a leg up in negotiations simply because he spent this season there.

Reporters asked Soto the same question a handful of different ways, but his answers remained steady.

"I’m really happy with the city, with the team, how these guys do," Soto said. "But at the end of the day, we’re going to look at every situation, every offer that we get, and then take a decision from that.”

"Every team has the same opportunity when I go to free agency," he added. "I won’t say any team has an advantage."

One more for good measure:

"Leaving any place that’s a winning team is always hard," Soto explained. "This team was really special. It’s been a blast for me. I’ve been really happy. If I’m here or not, I will be happy for the teammates that I got to know. This is a really special group. They just wished me the best of luck and made sure I do the best for me and my family. These guys were special and I'm really happy to play with them."

Two things can be true here.

The first is that Soto had nothing to gain by possibly telegraphing to the other 29 teams that his preference is to remain a Yankee.

The second is that Soto had nothing to lose by being less cold and calculating about his future. At the very least, simply saying he'd like to return (without being to forceful about it) couldn't have possibly hurt when it comes to driving up his price.

But Soto, a Scott Boras client, spoke robotically about his future. There was no waxing poetic about the history of the Yankees and how much it means to play for them.

Perhaps the Yanks are the favorites to land Soto. Perhaps they're not.

But barring some kind of change in the Yankees' philosophy and recent unwillingness to simply outspend other teams for players they desire -- and when factoring in their not-so-great payroll situation -- it's hard to see them being the high bidder for Soto.

The Yankees used to be the biggest fish, but that ended about two decades ago when other teams -- including the Dodgers and Red Sox -- started to flex their financial might in a bigger way. And in the recent past, the Yanks passed on Bryce Harper in free agency, nearly lost Aaron Judge to the Giants (and were outbid by the Padres by $40 million for his services) and lost the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes to the Dodgers (refusing to engage in a bidding war while also being outbid by the Mets).

And as the Yankees look to keep Soto, it's fair to believe their main competition will come from across town in the form of the rising Mets.

Sure, perhaps the Dodgers or Giants or a few other teams pursue Soto heavily. But if the Mets decide they badly want him, it's hard to see this coming down to anything but a Mets vs. Yankees battle.

While the final decider could be money, it can be argued that the Mets have a handful of other factors in their favor over the Yankees.

Making Soto the centerpiece of their offseason plan makes all the sense in the world for the Mets, who emerged as legitimate World Series contenders in 2024 -- ultimately falling two games short of a trip to the Fall Classic -- and are set up incredibly well payroll-wise in 2025 and beyond.

To put it simply, the Mets have the willingness and ability to outspend any team for any player, and they have a glaring need for a generational hitter like Soto, who would round out an already-strong lineup and give New York a second superstar to pair with Francisco Lindor.

Aside from the money advantage the Mets should have, their argument for Soto to choose them over the Yankees is a very strong one.

As is noted above, the Mets' payroll situation is terrific. And they have an owner who is expected to stop at nothing in an effort to make them a sustainable winner.

Of course, the Yankees have already proven to be a sustainable winner. But their payroll situation is not great (nor is their willingness to spend as much as Steve Cohen), which means their ability to maintain this level for the duration of Soto's contract might not be great.

Specifically, the Yankees already have $146 million committed to just five players through 2026, and $128 million to four players through 2027. Add Soto to that, and the Yanks would have roughly $190 million committed to six players through 2026, and $172 million committed to five players through 2027.

The Mets' total projected payroll obligations from 2026 through 2029 look like this:

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

Yes, adding Soto to the above would give the Mets a massive yearly sum to pay, but they're better equipped to handle it than the Yankees.

As the Mets try to woo Soto, it can also be argued that they have a better core (Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Alvarez, Mark Vientos, Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Edwin Diaz) than the Yankees (Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon). And if the Mets re-sign Pete Alonso, that argument is strengthened more.

The Mets also have a more stable front office and managerial situation to offer Soto, whose deal could be for 10 years or more.

President of baseball operations David Stearns, one of the most well-respected and decorated young executives in the game, is entering his second year at the helm, while young manager Carlos Mendoza will be entering his second.

As far as the Yankees, GM Brian Cashman's time at the top could be winding down. Regarding manager Aaron Boone, he is expected back in 2025, which is the final year of his contract -- though he could possibly get an extension.

What about the farm systems of the two teams?

According to MLB.com's midseason update, the Mets are No. 13 while the Yanks are No. 18.

On MLB Pipeline's top 100 rankings, the only Yankee is Jasson Dominguez (No. 17). The Mets have four top 100 prospects -- Brandon Sproat (No. 40), Jett Williams (No. 57), Drew Gilbert (No. 82), and Ryan Clifford (No. 83).

The Mets also have a host of other high upside prospects who could rise up the rankings in 2025, including outfielder Carson Benge and pitchers Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Blade Tidwell, and Jonathan Santucci.

There's also Luisangel Acuña (who debuted late this season) and Ronny Mauricio (who should be back healthy at the start of 2025).

One thing the Mets don't have over the Yankees is the history. The so-called aura. Does Soto care about that? Or does he care more about the future of the team he's joining than the past?

Even when talking about the Yankees' storied history, it needs to be pointed out that they've been to the World Series twice in the last two decades while the Mets have been there once. The Yanks have won one title during that span, while the Mets have won zero. This isn't 1927 or 1939 or 1953 or 1961 or 1978 or 1999. The Yankees' history is great for the "27 rings" crowd, but how much do players who didn't grow up loving the Yankees really care?

There's also this...

The Mets are a fun, loose team, full of the now-patented humor, whimsy, and joy. There is pressure to perform, but nothing near the level of the business-like, highly-pressurized atmosphere in the Bronx, where the type of facial hair you have, how long the hair on your head is, and the amount of chains you wear is controlled from above.

The Soto chase might simply come down to who bids the most money, with the Mets having the advantage if that's how it shakes out. And they should outbid anyone for his services. But if this comes down to a New York vs. New York battle, it's not just money in the Mets' favor -- it's plenty of other aspects, too.