New information regarding the Mets’ visit by Juan Soto makes it obvious that New York is the club to beat….Read More

The Juan Soto sweepstakes is getting down to business with only a few weeks left before Winter Meetings begin. The outfielder and his agent, Scott Boras, have allegedly started receiving preliminary offers after meeting with teams earlier this month. Additional conversations are scheduled to take place in the days ahead.

We still don’t know exactly what Soto values, how much he’s asking for, what each team is willing to offer, or what will ultimately determine one of the biggest free agencies in the history of the sport, despite the fact that there has been a lot of conjecture about his leanings and the team he might choose. That is, until Tuesday afternoon, when a piece of information surfaced that would give Soto the advantage and suggested that one team might be perceived slightly more positively than the others.

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According to reports, Juan Soto met with the Mets at Steve Cohen’s estate in California.
From Soto’s first meetings with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and New York Mets, it didn’t appear like there was much to learn. He and Boras had fruitful discussions with each front office based on all the reports that were available, and each of them presented compelling arguments and outlined their plans for sustained success.

However, as it turns out, those meetings were not equal. Four groups traveled to Southern California to visit Soto at Boras’ ranch. But the Mets got Soto to come to them: Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Jon Heyman claim that the 26-year-old went to owner Steve Cohen’s residence in Beverly Hills.

Perhaps that’s nothing; even if Soto and Boras had decided to travel, Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t have a house nearby where they could have stayed. However, the Dodgers could have greeted Soto anywhere, but instead, like everyone else, they traveled to Boras’ offices. The fact that Soto apparently feels at ease enough with Cohen and the Mets to make a house call seems noteworthy; if nothing else, it would seem to help Cohen develop the closer bond with the outfielder he is reportedly seeking with whoever he commits to for the next ten or more years.

This is still a long way off. However, it would seem that Cohen is equally skilled at winning and dining in free agency, which would be problematic for the rest of the league in addition to having the financial power to outbid everyone and everyone if he so chooses.