The Yankees and owner Hal Steinbrenner made a big move to keep Juan Soto, offering him a $760 million contract (including a $60 million signing bonus) that would have been the richest in sports history in 16 years. I stepped into an uncomfortable place.
But it won't be as much as Mets owner Steve Cohen spent $765 million over 15 years (including a $75 million contract bonus). That number could rise to $805 million if the team opts out of Soto after five years.
And perhaps some within the Yankees organization know they no longer need to spend so much money on a single player and can try to spread the money around to improve a declining roster, including Soto. Some people may feel that a weight has been lifted from their shoulders. Dodgers in the World Series.
“I think there's a lot of people in the room thinking, 'I dodged a bullet.' I wish I didn't have to do this,” Post Baseball columnist Joel Sherman said of Soto, 26, signing with the Mets. He spoke on the live show “Pinstripes Post'' on Sunday night about the agreement.
With MLB's winter meetings currently being held in Dallas, the Yankees could turn to Plan B.
Infielder Willie Adames agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Giants on Saturday, leaving them with one less option to supplement Soto's production.
Follow The Post's coverage of Juan Soto's historic blockbuster deal with the Mets.
The Yankees have an opening at first base after declining Anthony Rizzo's option, so one potential option is to strip Pete Alonso from the Mets.
Third baseman Alex Bregman may be a good fit, but questions remain given his role on the Astros' championship team in 2017, which was exposed for cheating.
On the pitching side, the Yankees recently held virtual meetings with top starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried.
Soto wasn't the first player the Mets signed with the Yankees this offseason. On Friday, they agreed to a three-year, $38 million contract with right-hander Clay Holmes, who is looking to convert to a starting pitcher.
