Steve Cohen thought his second Juan Soto Mets…
Steve Cohen believed Juan Soto was headed back to the Yankees after a second in-person assembly that occurred in December amid talks to carry the slugger to Queens.
That’s in line with a prolonged characteristic revealed by Sports Illustrated on the Mets’ hunt to carry one of the largest names in baseball into the fold this offseason.
Soto, of course, signed with the Mets in the long run on a recording-setting 15-year, $765 million contract on Dec. 11, however a mere 5 days earlier, the Mets proprietor left a assembly with Soto and his camp in Florida, considering any hope was all however lifeless.
New York Mets’ Juan Soto (22) hits a solo home run within the first inning in opposition to the Houston Astros during a spring coaching sport at Clover Field on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Port St. Lucie, FL. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Cohen convened a assembly with Soto and his representatives on Dec. 6 at Cohen’s Boca Raton home, the place Soto instructed the Mets that one of his largest priorities for the place he was signing was making sure he had safety within the lineup.
Soto had Manny Machado behind him in San Diego and Aaron Judge during his lone season in The Bronx however didn’t really feel the Mets had enough safety for his liking.
The dialog didn’t get a lot better from there — in Cohen’s eyes, at the very least — and at one level, his frustration appeared to boil over.
Steve Cohen appears to be like on at spring coaching. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“Why are we even having this meeting? It sounds like you’re coming up with a lot of reasons why you don’t want to come to our team!” Cohen reportedly stated during the sit-down.
After the assembly ended and Soto departed, Cohen instructed Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns that Soto was “going back to the Yankees.”
But to his shock, Cohen bought a call from Soto’s agent Scott Boras the subsequent morning that shocked the Mets proprietor.
Juan Soto subsequent to his agent Scott Boras during a press convention the place Soto was launched as the most recent Met at Citi Field. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Boras instructed Cohen that the assembly was “really, really great” though Cohen had felt as if that was “one of the worst meetings” he’d ever been in.
“Juan liked you. You definitely checked the ownership box,” Boras instructed Cohen within the cellphone call.
The following Sunday, Soto gave Boras the go-ahead to attempt to work out the deal with the Mets, and later that night time, it had been completed, making the slugger a member of the Amazin’s.
Soto will make his official Mets debut after they open their common season on Thursday in Houston.
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