The New York Mets, along with owner Steve Cohen, are fully committed to signing superstar free agent Juan Soto. However, they face stiff competition from four other teams: the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers, who are also pursuing Soto. If the Mets fail to secure Soto in the next few days, they will need to quickly adjust their strategy to salvage their offseason. One potential move in their backup plan involves acquiring an ace. Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter predicts that the Mets will sign an ace, specifically forecasting a seven-year, $255.5 million deal with Baltimore Orioles’ ace
“All the way back in July, I predicted the Baltimore Orioles would extend Corbin Burnes with a seven-year, $255.5 million deal, which would represent an AAV a tick higher than the $36 million Gerrit Cole is earning annually on his deal with the New York Yankees,” Reuter wrote. “A reunion with the Orioles no longer looks like the most likely outcome for his free agency, but he could end up being the immediate fallback plan for the Boston Red Sox or New York Mets if they miss out on Juan Soto.”
The $255 million figure is significantly higher than most projections for Corbin Burnes, which typically range between $200 million and $225 million. If the Mets fail to land Soto, they may become desperate, and desperation could lead a wealthy team like the Mets to overpay to secure top talent. In that case, Burnes would be their next best target, and he is the player they should pursue most aggressively.
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