Mets owner makes big move in Juan Soto pursuit

Sep 11, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets majority owner Steve Cohen and his wife Alexandra Cohen at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is making his first big move toward trying to sign Juan Soto.

Cohen plans to travel to Southern California next week for a personal meeting with Soto and agent Scott Boras, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. This is expected to be the first of many meetings Soto and Boras take with owners and other top figures from across baseball as free agency gets started.

The meeting signifies just how much of a priority Soto is for the Mets. Cohen is known for taking an active role in free agency recruitment, as he was very involved in the ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter. Other owners are likely to meet with Soto as well.

The Mets and the New York Yankees have consistently been viewed as the teams most likely to duke it out for Soto, though the Los Angeles Dodgers can never be ruled out. There are other teams sniffing around as well, but it will be hard for anyone else to beat these big-market franchises to a player of Soto’s caliber.

Soto’s contract demands are expected to be very high. Cohen and the Mets are among a small group that could conceivably match them.