“I bet he goes for both” - MLB executive believes Mets' Steve Cohen will pursue Juan Soto in free agency along with Pete Alonso 

According to an MLB executive, the richest team owner in the MLB, Steve Cohen, will go after both Juan Soto and Pete Alonso in the next free agency.

Mets owner Cohen faced many stebacks this offseason as they failed to sign any prospects that they were reportedly after this winter. Two of their top-target free agents (Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani) landed massive deals with the LA Dodgers to snub the New York Mets.

"I bet he goes for both" - MLB executive on Steve Cohen's gameplan for next offseason

David Stearns, president of baseball operations, has been hard at work restructuring the New York Mets' 2024 roster this offseason.

He has accomplished this with a small number of largely unseen acquisitions and just one multi-year contract. It came in the face of Sean Manaea, who posted strong numbers with the Giants last season after having a disastrous season with the Padres in 2022.

According to a report from SNY's Andy Martino on February 18, signing Juan Soto in the upcoming offseason is a possibility for Mets owner Steve Cohen. Reports on anything definitive should wait until later, as nothing is certain for now.

He did, however, add that there's no reason the New York Mets shouldn't be getting ready to gear up for Soto, who is getting ready for his Yankees debut in the upcoming 2024 MLB season.

By general estimates, it would cost a tonne of money to sign both Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. Tim Britton of The Athletic estimated that Juan Soto's next deal would be for 14 years and $540 million.

On August 31, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that it would cost the Mets about $200 million to keep a hold of their star slugger Pete Alonso past the 2024 season.

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Signing both Juan Soto and Pete Alonso after the 2024 MLB season would bolster the hitting lineup of the New York Mets

In response to inquiries on Pete Alonso's contract status, Stearns has been frank and transparent. During a guest appearance on Foul Territory, he expressed his desire to designate the first baseman as a "Met for life." Pete Alonso in turn stated that beyond the one-year, $20.5 million agreement they reached for 2024, his camp and the Mets had no talks this winter.

It seems obvious to keep the brute-hitting first baseman as the centrepiece of New York's lineup alongside shortstop Francisco Lindor. But the Mets might benefit from adding a second power bat to complement Alonso. This is part of the reason why the team has been linked to a number of experienced free agents this winter, according to rumours.

Juan Soto's signing would satisfy that requirement. The 25-year-old is a constant threat to smash 30 home runs and record 100 RBIs, 100 walks, and 100 runs scored.

With 3,375 plate appearances, he has a career triple slash of .284/.410/.519. In 2019, Soto won a World Series with the Washington Nationals and is already a three-time All-Star at 25 years of age.