Juan Soto says he wants to build a dynasty with New York Mets
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New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto poses for photos during a press conference at Citi Field.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK – Juan Soto said on Dec 12 he was looking to establish a Major League Baseball (MLB) dynasty with the New York Mets after the 26-year-old signed a record-breaking 15-year, US$765 million (S$1.03 billion) contract.
The Dominican’s lofty ambitions are in line with those of team owner Steve Cohen, who has sought to bring a winning culture to the ball club since acquiring them four years ago.
“The Mets are a great organisation,” said Soto, who enjoyed a career year with the New York Yankees last season as he set career highs in a number of categories, including runs, hits, home runs, total bases and extra-base hits.
“What they have done in the past couple of years, showing all the ability to keep winning, to keep growing a team, to try to grow a dynasty is one of the most important things.
“The buzz, and everything on the field and the future that this team has, had a lot to do with my decision.”
His freshly signed contract is the biggest in MLB history, eclipsing the 10-year, US$700-million pact the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to last winter.
Soto also said that seeing how hungry the team were to win a championship put them over the top in the Soto sweepstakes, which saw the Yankees (who had hoped to re-sign him), the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Dodgers all reportedly vying for his services.
Mets fans are eager to see their team end a World Series championship drought since 1986 with the help of four-time All-Star Soto, one of his generation’s finest hitters who helped to lead the Washington Nationals to a title in 2019.
The Mets made a surprise run to the National League Championship Series last season, and their success in luring Soto away from the Yankees also came as something of a shock, even to Cohen.
“This was a competitive process, there were many teams involved and it was hard to know where you stood,” Cohen said.
“Things were changing by the day, so there were moments when you start questioning whether you are going to be successful. But, in the end, I got the call I wanted.”
Cohen added that his bigger goal was to change the perception of the club, who have long existed in the shadow of their crosstown rivals, the Yankees.
“It’s obviously a huge move... and it accelerates our goal of winning championships,” he said.
“But, more important, my goal was to change how the Mets were viewed and I think we’re on the path to changing that... my goal is that the Mets are going to be a premier team, one of the elite teams, in Major League Baseball.”
REUTERS