With one free agent acquisition, the Mets announced their new status among baseball powers, stole from their neighborhood nemesis, and changed the New York sports landscape.
Steve Cohen's Mets signed Juan Soto to a 15-year contract worth $765 million.
Soto joins National League MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor in surprising the team in 2024 and will carry World Series hopes next season and possibly beyond.
Soto will now have to scramble to say goodbye to Yankees AL MVP Aaron Judge, who is not used to missing out on star players in free agency.
Soto, who is aiming for the Hall of Fame, has been one of the best hitters in baseball since debuting in 2018.
Still just 26 years old, the outfielder is perhaps the most reliable slugger in the game and is coming off his best season in his only season in the Bronx, with a .989 OPS and a career-high 41 home runs.
The Yankees mortgaged some of their future, including Michael King's Cy Young candidacy, to keep Soto in pinstripes for one season.
A magical year has come to an end, with us just three wins away from winning the World Series.
If there was any hope that Soto's Yankee experience would lead to a long-term contract, Cohen's $765 million proved to be the bigger draw.
