Even before the 2024 season has begun, there are already talks of what will happen when it ends. With superstars like Juan Soto and Pete Alonso ready to enter free agency, the 2024-25 offseason is already generating headlines. Among these headlines, New York is finding the most mentions. With both the New York Yankees and their neighbors, the New York Mets interested – there’s a battle brewing here.

However, before Soto enters his free agency, he has to play in 2024. Incidentally, he’s a Yankee currently, which normally would give the team a lot of cushion. However, with a mega-rich team like the Mets on Soto’s doorstep, things are getting a little tricky for the Pinstripes. With their World Series aspirations at stake, one wonders how this will affect that objective.

Recently, it was revealed that the Kings of the Queens are interested in signing Juan Soto. This came on the back of reports that they want to re-sign Pete Alonso as well. That’s when a question arose – can they afford both stars at the same time? The short answer – yes, they can. Spotrac suggests the Mets’ payroll will fall from $310+ million this year to $160 million in 2025.

With the luxury taxation threshold increasing to $241 million, there’s a lot of room for the Mets here. That’s something that might worry the Yankees. The Bronx side is hoping to keep Soto on their roster for more than just a year. However, unlike their neighbors, the Yankees’ payroll won’t have such a drastic drop, they’ll remain near $190 million.

So a big-money competitor makes it all the more important for the Bombers to make a great impression on Soto. What if that proves to be highly beneficial to the team?

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The need to impress Juan Soto = A great season for the Yankees?

Ask anyone and they’ll have a similar response. The best way to impress a player is to provide him with a winning project. Now that the Yankees have an equally financially strong competitor for Soto, they’ll have to play smarter. The Bronx Bombers could create a winning atmosphere and make Soto as comfortable as possible. That could actually help in their World Series pursuit, too. 

It isn’t a shocking thing to say that Soto will get a big deal (with $500 million rumors swirling). However, the Yankees still have a huge advantage over the Mets. So either the Yankees can get nervous about Steve Cohen’s entry or continue to focus on winning. As of now, winning seems like the only option for the Pinstripes to attract Soto back to the Bronx Area.

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