Only a year after the offseason saga that saw Juan Soto leave the New York Yankees for the New York Mets, the crosstown rivals are engaged in another bidding warâthis time for Cody Bellinger.
The free agent outfielder is looking to land a lucrative deal in the open market, just as Soto did with the Orange and Blue in 2025 after a season with the Bronx Bombers. Bellinger has recently been warned about repeating Sotoâs decision to leave the Yankees for the Mets, yet a move to Queens remains on the table.
The Mets might be willing to seize on the financial obstacle the Yankees are facing to re-sign Bellinger, and the reason theyâd be willing to pay the first baseman reportedly involves Soto.
âThe Mets like Bellinger not only for their emphasized run prevention but for added lineup protection for Juan Soto (no one can fully protect someone as great as Soto, of course, but Bellingerâs the best, most obvious hope),â Jon Heyman wrote on the New York Post.
Juan Soto during his introductory press conference with the Mets.
Comparing Juan Sotoâs Mets contract to Bellingerâs current situation
Coming off a fantastic 2024 season where he made his fourth consecutive MLB All-Star Game and helped the Yankees reach the World Series batting .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 129 walks; Sotoâs stock was through the roof when he hit free agency last year.
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The Mets didnât hesitate to break the bank to snatch him from the city rivals, handing Soto an astonishing 15-year, $765 million contract, which included a $75 million signing bonus.
Bellinger could now emulate Soto by leaving the Yankees for a bigger deal while staying in New York, but there would still be significant differences between their situations. To begin with, Soto signed his deal way sooner in free agency, having put pen to paper with the Mets in December, whereas Bellinger remains unsigned in January.
Set to turn 31 in July, Bellinger cannot expect the kind of money nor the contract length the Mets offered Soto, who was 26 when he left the Bronx for Queens. Still, Bellinger appears to be in a position to get a deal that satisfies his demands. Besides, both the Yankees and Mets reportedly have a preference for Bellinger over other free agents like Kyle Tucker, which would make his case even easier.
