The New York Mets made the biggest splash of free agency by signing Juan Soto. The 15-year, $765 million contract is the biggest in North American sports history and could escalate to over $800 million. While they are in a great spot by just adding Soto, there are other spots they are looking to add. Will Sammon of The Athletic details the plan for Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea.
“After signing Juan Soto to the richest contract in sports history, people familiar with the New York Mets’ thinking about filling roster holes said the club plans to act ‘aggressively yet smart,’” Sammon wrote.
He then describes what that means in connection to Alonso and Manaea. “That might mean the Mets prefer homegrown star Pete Alonso to return on a shorter deal rather than conceding entirely if Alonso’s desired figures run on the long end. That might mean a reluctance to go five years, possibly even four years, for Sean Manaea, a pitcher they’d like to re-sign.”
The Mets were not expected to make the playoffs in 2024. With dead money on their books and a hodge-podge starting rotation, they made it to the NLCS. Alonso and Manaea were big parts of that run. They must bring them back to make the Soto addition meaningful.
The Mets must continue to spend in free agency
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Mets fans were injected with a ton of hope when Steve Cohen bought the team. The Wilpon family did not spend money after the Bernie Madoff scandal cost them a fortune. They kept the team for over a decade after that, even making a World Series, but they were not treated like a big-market team. Cohen cannot go back to that after doling out the biggest contract in MLB history.
Cohen must bring Alonso and Manaea back despite the massive Soto contract. While it will be difficult to stay under any luxury tax number, Cohen should not be concerned about that. They are in a position to contend in the National League next year. It will take a lot, however, because of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers beat the Mets in the NLCS on their way to a World Series title. With Shohei Ohtani coming back to the mound and Blake Snell joining the fold, they somehow got better this offseason. While the Mets also got better, they have a large gap to make up in National League pennant contention.
Christopher Hennessy is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints, with additional expertise in the NHL and golf. He graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022, and he has work experience at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders reporter.
