Beltrán: Mets considering 'full blast' pursuit of Soto in free agency
Carlos Beltrán, the New York Mets' special assistant to the president of baseball operations, confirmed the club is considering going all-in on free-agent phenom Juan Soto.
"The Mets want to improve the team, and there is no doubt that they will go after all the players that are on the open market knowing that the piece that everyone wants is Juan Soto," Beltrán said, according to Primera Hora, as translated by theScore.
"And the Mets do not rule out going full blast after him."
Soto, fresh off a World Series appearance and top-3 AL MVP finish with the New York Yankees, is expected to command one of the most lucrative free-agent contracts in MLB history.
The Mets have been consistently linked to Soto as one of the few clubs capable of giving him a contract in excess of $600 million, especially with extensive money coming off their books.
"The Mets owner (Steve Cohen) is one of the wealthiest in the game and wants to win," Beltran said.
"When he tells the press that he wants to win, he doesn't say it to rile up fans. It's personal for him, and I got to see that being with the team this year."
Soto would give the Mets the firepower needed to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who ousted them in the NLCS en route to a second World Series title in five years.
The 26-year-old slugged a career-high 41 home runs in 2024 while walking (129) more than striking out (119). His career .421 on-base percentage is tops among all active players.
Soto has accrued a whopping 36.3 fWAR in just seven seasons.