Steve Cohen pointed out that this is different from other free agent courtships.
He was a superstar in his prime, a player who could change things even more for the Mets, and had already proven he could handle New York City.
He wasn't going to let the dollar numbers prevent him from acquiring Juan Soto.
In fact, when they hired President of Baseball Operations David Stearns about a year ago, they discussed pursuing Soto.
“One of the things I learned a long time ago is if you want something great, it's going to be unpleasant,” the Mets owner said Thursday after Soto was introduced to the media at Citi Field. He spoke at “It's never comfortable, so I always stretch a little bit because I know what it takes to get it done.”
Coach Cohen didn't blink an eye when he gave Soto the largest contract in the history of professional sports, a 15-year, $765 million contract that would take him from the Bronx to Queens.
If the Mets choose to void Soto's opt-out clause after the 2029 season and increase his average annual salary over the final 10 years of his contract from $51 million to $55 million, his value could reach $805 million. There is sex. It also included a huge signing bonus of $75 million.
The billionaire owner is fully committed to acquiring Soto, a four-time All-Star who should form a powerful one-two punch with shortstop Francisco Lindor.
“The opportunity to acquire a generational ballplayer is something you don't get very often,” Cohen said.
A lot has changed around the Mets since Cohen took over from the frugal Wilpons in November 2020.
They made the playoffs twice in four seasons and advanced to the NLCS in October.
His annual salary increased significantly, and the Mets stole a player from the Yankees in Soto.
It's a Mets fan's wildest dream come true.
“My goal was to change the way people look at the Mets.” [when I bought the team]'' Cohen said. “And I think we're on a path to just change that. We're never going to stop, we're always going to keep getting better. … I'm looking forward to what's next for the Mets. This will help us win a championship.” I think it will accelerate our goal to do that.”
During a meeting with Soto, the star outfielder asked Cohen how many championships he wanted to win over the next 10 years.
He told him two to four.
That resonated with Soto.
“That's what you play baseball for, to be a championship player and try to win as many games as possible,” Soto said. “At the end of the day, you can have everything, but if you don't win, it's kind of hard. That's what I want to do. I want to have the best chance to win every year and win as many things as possible. I want to try to win the World Series.”
Cohen has already shown in four seasons how important winning is to him.
He splurged on Lindor, signing him to a 10-year deal worth $341 million, and acquired former Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
When two aging aces didn't work out, Cohen used his wallet to bring back quality prospects in trade deadline moves.
After the Mets surprisingly advanced to the NLCS a few months ago, Coach Cohen did his best to acquire Soto, but the Mets aren't done adding to their team just yet.
“My goal is for the Mets to be a premier team, one of the elite teams in Major League Baseball,” Cohen said.
