Mets could reportedly make Yankees slugger 'highest-paid player in baseball'

It's going to be a dramatic, high-stakes winter for the New York Mets and New York Yankees.

Both clubs will be preparing colossal contracts for free agent superstar Juan Soto.

Soto is likely to demand the largest contract in Major League Baseball this offseason, a new report from Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller asserts.

"Almost regardless of what happened this season, Juan Soto was going to get paid an exorbitant sum of money this winter," Miller said. "That's because in addition to having the fourth-highest OPS in all of baseball from 2018-23 ... Soto has yet to even celebrate his 26th birthday."

"Soto has exceeded expectation (in 2024), on track for a career-best mark in both runs and home runs with what would be the highest OPS he has ever posted in a 162-game season. ... Whatever your guess was three months ago as to what Soto would get this offseason, might want to tack another 10 percent onto that."

"It is extremely likely the present-day value of Soto's contract will exceed the $460M present-day value of the deal Shohei Ohtani signed last winter. It's really just a question of which of the two New York teams is more willing to make him the highest-paid player in baseball."

The Mets are no strangers to bidding wars with the Yankees, but a pocketbook battle for Soto would certainly represent a financial event for the ages.

Which of New York's clubs will be willing to spend more, or (gasp), could another team swoop in and make a surprise play for the Soto?

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