Yankees' Juan Soto reportedly eyeing 'bidding war' between two teams

New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is still in the early days of a love affair with a fan base that has warmly welcomed him this spring, but it appears his camp wants it known he's open to making a move to the New York Mets in free agency. 

"The Yankees will aim to retain him, and sources within the Mets organization have said that team intends to make a run, too," ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney said about Soto for a piece published Wednesday. "Agents speculate that the two big numbers that Scott Boras, Soto's agent, will target are $500M in a total package, as well as the record for any position player...While there might be other teams involved in the chase, all he really needs to push salary benchmarks is to be the object of a Yankees versus Mets bidding war."

Soto joined the Yankees from the San Diego Padres via a December trade and has quickly established himself as a fan favorite and a key figure for a team that began the ongoing season at 12-3 before it experienced a three-game losing streak. 

According to ESPN stats, Soto began Wednesday tied for the MLB lead with 16 walks. He posted a .324 batting average and a .947 OPS with three home runs and 15 RBI across his first 18 games in pinstripes. 

It was reported earlier this month that the combination of Soto and Boras likely won't give the Yankees any type of discount either before or shortly after the 25-year-old reaches the open market this fall. 

Olney mentioned in Wednesday's article that Soto "could surpass the present-day value assessment for" the contract that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani landed from the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason. 

"Under the terms of his deal, Ohtani will make $2M in salary next year," Olney explained. "If Soto stays healthy and productive -- and continues his love affair with the Yankees and their fans -- it's possible he could make 25 times that amount. He could be the first player to earn $50M in a season."

Big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen theoretically can outbid every other club for Soto, and Cohen sounds ready to spend money before Christmas 2024 following the club's relatively quiet winter. 

While the Mets began the season with five straight losses, they ultimately improved to 9-8 ahead of Wednesday's home game against the 11-7 Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Beloved Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is also on track to reach free agency after this season, but some are convinced team president of baseball operations David Stearns "has little interest" in paying a slugger who turns 30 years old in December. 

In short, those rumblings of a Yankees-Mets battle regarding Soto's services seem unlikely to quiet down anytime soon.