New York Yankees Must Prepare for Bidding War With New York Mets Next Winter

As the New York Yankees get set for what they hope will be a great season, another potential bidding war with the cross-town rivals looms.

Recently, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. announced that his deadline to sign an extension with the Toronto Blue Jays has come and past. Now, he will be entering next offseason as arguably the top free agent of the class.

For the Yankees, the All-Star slugger is a great fit on paper. The team has needed help at first base for several years now. This offseason, they signed Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal, with the hope that they would be able to pursue Guerrero more than likely.

However, while New York will be likely actively pursuing the star slugger, they will likely be facing off with the New York Mets once again next offseason.

It was quite the battle for Juan Soto this winter between the cross-town rivals, with the Mets coming out on top. The deep pockets of Mets owner Steve Cohen were able to lure the superstar away from the Bronx, in what was a massive shift for baseball supremacy in New York.

As the two teams get set for what they hope will be strong seasons, they seemed destined to be in a bidding war once again next winter for Guerrero.

Like the Yankees, the Mets might have positioned themselves to pursue the talented slugger next offseason. Even though they signed Pete Alonso to a two-year deal, it is weighted more so to being a one-year pact.

Alonso will be earning $30 million in 2025 and then has the player option for $24 million in 2026. More than likely, the Mets’ All-Star first baseman will be declining that to test free agency again next winter.

Even if for some reason Alonso does pick up the option, the Mets could turn around and use him as designated hitter for one year, freeing up first base for Guerrero.

With both teams likely being interested, this will be setting up another appealing battle between the two New York teams. The addition of Soto is an excellent selling point for a long-term perspective for Guerrero to consider. Both players are very young and could be the faces of the franchise for a long time.

For the Yankees, even though they might have lost the bidding war on Soto, doesn’t mean that they can’t beat the Mets next offseason.

The team has been set up nicely once again in 2025 to make the World Series, giving them the excellent selling point of coming to the Bronx to compete for titles.

If the cross-town rivals lock horns once again next winter, it will certainly be exciting to watch.

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