In case you missed it, the Mets and superstar outfielder Juan Soto agreed to the largest professional contract in professional sports history Sunday night. The 15-year, $765 million deal includes no deferred money but incentives that could reach the total deal to $800 million. Soto has an opt-out after the fifth year, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.
The signing ushers another new era of baseball into Queens. When Steve Cohen purchased the team in October 2020, he made clear that he had high hopes. While he initially had a five-year plan — which included winning a World Series within those five years — it included spending big on splashy, high-end names. However, when the Mets carried the richest payroll in the league and failed to make the playoffs or came up short in the Wild Card round in 2022, Cohen wasn’t afraid to adjust.
While showing enthusiasm to spend not only entertained Mets’ fans at the possibility that any player was fair game, Cohen expressed something else. He grew up with this team, he rooted for this team, and more importantly, he’s a die-hard fan of this team, just like the fans that flood into Citi Field. He proved he cared about the community, the fans and the team. More importantly, he had a drive to win.
Steve Cohen. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
He traded for Francisco Lindor, then signed him to an 11-year, $341 million extension before he played a single game in a Mets uniform. Then he added future Hall of Fame pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. He wasn’t afraid of risky trades like sending first-round pick Pete Crow-Armstrong to the Cubs for Javier Báez. And now, he signed Soto, a player whose free agency status was discussed years before he was even eligible.
Cohen transformed a Mets club, often the butt of jokes or the “little brother,” and turned them into threats. He got the league and world to take the Mets seriously as legitimate contenders. With Cohen’s deep pockets, it might sound naive to say, but there was a bit of humility along the way for him. He admitted when things didn’t go as planned, he didn’t shy away from hard questions or truths. Instead, he course-corrected. He landed his president of baseball operations, David Stearns, and they transformed how they constructed their 2024 team. The biggest lesson for Cohen came with how to spend his money wisely on players and which players to spend it on. The result? A club two wins away from a trip to the World Series.
Now, Cohen’s journey as Mets’ owner in his five-year plan nears full circle. As he enters year five as owner, he has a new face of the franchise. Lindor and Soto will no doubt be a lethal one-two combo in the line-up, possibly one of the best ones in the league. With this signing, Cohen once again has taken the Mets to another level, one once unthinkable. With a few more key additions, the 2025 team looks lethal and the future has never been brighter.
How 2025 ends is to be determined, but there’s never been a better time to be a Mets fan. Cohen has brought joy, excitement and hope back to Queens once again.
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