Mets president addresses narrative about winning Juan Soto sweepstakes over Yankees

Months after New York Mets co-owners Steve and Alex Cohen convinced slugger Juan Soto to leave the New York Yankees for the Amazins via free agency, Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo suggested that winning the Soto sweepstakes showed that the club was "not going to be the second team in New York anymore." 

For a piece produced by ESPN's Jorge Castillo that was published on Thursday, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns poured cold water over such narratives. 

"I did not see it that way in my position," Stearns said. "I saw it as we were able to sign and recruit one of our game's best players. And regardless of where he happened to be playing last year, that, in and of itself, is important for our organization, for our brand, for our team, that a player could have gone to any of the major markets, any of the flagship teams in the sport, and he chose the Mets. It is a true testament to what Steve and Alex have been able to accomplish over the last five years."

The Cohens reportedly did not actively pursue All-Star outfielder and current Yankees captain Aaron Judge in the fall of 2022, in part because of the alleged "mutually respectful relationship" they enjoy with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner. That wasn't the case with Soto, however, who was merely a one-year rental after the Yankees acquired him from the San Diego Padres in December 2023. 

Numerous stories and reports touched upon whether Soto regretted leaving the Yankees for the Mets during what became a springtime slump. He seemingly put such chatter to bed by earning National League Player of the Month honors for June.

Per ESPN stats, Soto slashed .322/.474/.722 with a 1.196 OPS, 11 home runs, 20 RBI, 25 walks and 25 runs scored last month. However, he couldn't prevent what was a 45-24 Mets team from falling to 49-38 heading into the evening of July 3.

The Yankees also entered Thursday in the middle of a slide that saw them go from 42-25 to 48-38. They will meet the Mets for a three-game series held at Citi Field that will get underway on Friday afternoon.