Go Get Juan Soto

[smg58]

The odd thing about Soto's defense is that both Fangraphs and the Fielding Bible have him as better in right field that in left. And neither pegs him as significantly worse than average. If anything he's significantly better in right than Marte has been the past two seasons. I don't see it as a major concern.

[Frayed Knot]

I wondered aloud in one of these threads about whether the small RF in YSIII skews Soto's defensive range numbers to the positive.
aka: tough for stuff to fall in for a hit when the fielder only has to cover 7-1/2 ft in any direction. (OK so I'm exaggerating slightly)

But, yeah, he occasionally takes some odd routes to balls but he's at least a decent fielder and throws well. Starling on top of his form was better but not anymore.

[Centerfield]

Mets met with Soto yesterday. Per Jon Heyman.

Was productive blah blah blah.

Yankees fly in on Monday.

[ashie62]

CBS reported that Soto asked the Mets about player evaluation methods

That would have to be Boras as Soto is dumb as a rock

Until he becomes a Met

[Benjamin Grimm]

According to Carlos Baerga (I have no idea whether or not he's in a position to have any inside information) the Mets have made an offer to Soto that's worth $660 million. No word that I've seen about how many years that might cover.

[Centerfield]

From Bob Klapisch.

https://www.nj.com/yankees/2024/11/how- ... pisch.html

He’s believed to be “all in” on Soto, according to one source. But that’s no guarantee the Yankees will be the highest bidder.

To the contrary, Steinbrenner has a realistic expectation that Mets’ owner Steve Cohen will offer Soto the biggest contract — both in dollars and length of commitment.

I wish we had a better description of this source. The suggestion seems to be that the source has some knowledge of Steinbrenner's mindset.

[MFS62]

From Bob Klapisch.
I wish we had a better description of this source. The suggestion seems to be that the source has some knowledge of Steinbrenner's mindset.

No source?
Klap-trap.
Later

[Frayed Knot]

Klapisch specifically says there IS a source to the "all in" mindset.
How you want to consider that source is up to you, but that's not the same as saying there isn't one.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think it was sourced. It traces back to something Carlos Beltran said to a Puerto Rican newspaper.

[Centerfield]

Yeah, his description of the source, and his lack of clarity on the highest offer statement is the issue. It's lazy at best. At worst, it's intentionally vague to cover how weak his source is.

Earlier he wrote:

And there’s one other perk Steinbrenner and his braintrust will emphasize as well.

“It’s the idea of pairing up with (Aaron) Judge, and going to the playoffs practically every year,” is how one source, familiar with the Yankees’ strategy, put it.

So there. He's a little clearer. The source is familiar with the Yankees strategy. It might be someone within the organization. But the news, if you can call it that, is that someone close to the Yankees knows they will stress the relationship with Aaron Judge.

Then:

As another MLB executive said, “I expect there to be a decision fairly quickly” based on Boras’ failed strategies last year.

The source here is another MLB executive. This person presumably doesn't have any knowledge of the Yankees thinking. But is speculating.

And then the real nugget of info.

He’s believed to be “all in” on Soto, according to one source. But that’s no guarantee the Yankees will be the highest bidder.

To the contrary, Steinbrenner has a realistic expectation that Mets’ owner Steve Cohen will offer Soto the biggest contract — both in dollars and length of commitment.

Again. No description of the source. Is this the same source as the Judge quote above? Probably not. He'd say something like "that same source". Does this source also have knowledge of the Yankees' thinking? If so, why not say so. And is the source responsible for the first "all in" statement, or the no guarantee part as well? And what about the realistic expectation that Cohen will outbid the Yankees. Is that from that same source?

It's so infuriating.

[Frayed Knot]

It's a source. If the source wanted to go record then Klapisch would have told us who it was.
But he/she obviously doesn't and so it's just a kernel of information that's out there, along with other nuggets and speculations, and we can think of it
however we choose. I understand why we'd want more info but things don't always work that way and so I'm not quite sure why this has folks all upset.

[Centerfield]

I don't know that I'm all upset. I don't think I'm even partially upset. I am pointing out that:

(a) he fails or declines to identify anything about this source. Not even the vague descriptors he uses for his prior two sources. This causes me to draw the worst conclusions possible about the source. Which calls into question whether the statement is worth anything at all.

(b) he fails to identify which of the three statements (all in, no guarantee, Cohen will make the highest offer) are from his source, and which ones are his own speculation.

And this is irritating since this is the only thing in the entire article that is really newsworthy.

(so I guess if i'm irritated, I guess I'm at least partially upset)

[Centerfield]

Anyway. Per Heyman, the Yankees met with Soto yesterday. Went well. Blah blah blah. Dodgers are meeting with him today. This wasn't previously on the schedule.

If I can do some baseless speculation, I wonder if the Yankee meeting didn't go as well as planned. Meaning the Yankees didn't indicate a willingness to go as high as Boras was expecting. So now he needs the Dodgers to create a bidding war.

You can't leverage Cohen without another big spender at the table.

[Frayed Knot]

Phillies also want in on the action ... and why not?

[Benjamin Grimm]

That would suck.

If he decides not to go to the Mets, I would advise him to go to the Red Sox or Blue Jays.

[Edgy MD]

And I want him to go to Los Diablos Rojos.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Here's a dumb headline in my Google News feed, from something called Marca.com:

Do the Mets give up on Juan Soto after acquiring Jose Siri from the Rays?

And no, I'm not going to click on the article to see what the answer is.

[Edgy MD]

News You Can't Use.

[metirish]

Do we think this gets resolved before Thanksgiving?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Most predictions I've seen have said early December.

[Centerfield]

Per Klapisch the Yankees meeting went well.

https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/3134171

Apparently he talked to Steinbrenner about the areas where the Yankees need to improve. I think that's encouraging for the Yankees. You don't do that unless you're serious about going back.

Nothing leaked about anything like that for the Mets. I wonder if the Mets would have to push for someone like Burnes or Fried in order to show him their commitment to winning.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I read somewhere that Steve Cohen will not be outbid for Soto.... that he will offer $50M more than the next highest bidder for Soto. If this is accurate and it's mainly about money, that would make the Mets the favorites to land Soto, I would think.

[Centerfield]

It was Michael Kay, who said he heard from "somebody in baseball".

https://nypost.com/2024/11/19/sports/wh ... juan-soto/

I think that if that were true, yes, the advantage goes to the Mets.

And while that may be true, I have my doubts about this source. Cohen and Stearns have run a very tight ship. How likely is it that they let something like this leak, and if they did, how likely is it that it got to Michael Kay's friend and no one else in baseball.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, even if that's true, it's not true.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Here's a dumb headline in my Google News feed, from something called Marca.com:

Do the Mets give up on Juan Soto after acquiring Jose Siri from the Rays?

And no, I'm not going to click on the article to see what the answer is.

I'm now gleaning that this doesn't mean that the Mets don't need Soto now that they have Siri. There's some buzz out there that Siri and Soto are enemies and Soto wouldn't want to come to a team where Siri is his teammate.

I find it hard to give much weight to this. I can imagine 700 million reasons Soto might want to let bygones be bygones.

And if Soto says, I won't sign with the Mets if Siri is on the team, that's not a great attitude for an incoming player, but the Mets could ditch Siri so fast his head would spin.