The race for Juan Soto’s signature ended last night with the 26-year-old Soto choosing to move crosstown, signing with the Mets for 15 years and 765 million dollars. Mets fans have waited a long time for this, misuse of money by the previous ownership, never genuinely allowing them to acquire this level of the star in free agency, but all it took was a change of said ownership. Once hedge fund manager Steve Cohen purchased his childhood team from previously loathed owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon, he made it clear that no expense would be spent in putting a winning team on the field. Since his ownership, some good and bad moves have been made, bringing in Francisco Lindor, who, in only 4 years as a Met, has become one of the most beloved figures in this franchise’s history. He brought in Japanese Ace Koadi Senga, who, although he had his injuries, has proved to be a very valuable pitcher. Mistakes have been made through signing 35+-year-olds Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, who ultimately did not work out. 

The signing of Soto has been a long time in the making. Due to the woes of the previously mentioned former ownership, they could never spend like the big market team that they are. In 2019, when asked why the team didn’t pursue either Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, former owner Jeff Wilpon stated, “I don’t know how many teams have multiple 30 million dollar players. The Mets now have someone making over 50 million dollars a season. It was clear Soto would sign with the highest bidder from the beginning. He was described as a “mercenary” by the New York media, and the Mets simply had the spending power that his now former team, the Yankees, simply didn’t. Hal Steinbrenner’s final offer to Soto was 16 years for 760 million dollars. He would make around 4 million less yearly than the Mets offered. This signing is another domino in New York baseball’s power shift.

For most of the Yankees’s history, they have been known for bringing in the top talent of free agency. Late owner George Steinbrenner did what he needed to do; his son Hal has different ideas. Yes, Hal has brought in major free-agent signings, notably Gerrit Cole, but he is nothing like his dad. The Yankees of old would have never let this happen, and he would have never gone to free agency. Clearly, Hal cares more about building the Yankee’s global brand than winning. It is no coincidence that the Yankees have failed to win a World Series since the death of the elder Steinbrenner. Baseball in this city will never be the same, and that was what Cohen wanted. The Mets are now a premier destination similar to the Dodgers, while Yankee fans have feared that they will no longer be the only premier franchise in New York. Get used to it. Cohen and the free-spending Mets won’t be going away for a long time.