According to New York baseball insider Jon Heyman, it’s conceivable that the Yankees and Mets could effectively swap star sluggers Pete Alonso and Juan Soto, without a traditional trade deal. Heyman suggests that the Mets might sign Soto away from the Bronx, prompting the Yankees to acquire Alonso from Queens in response.
The reasoning behind this idea is solid. While the Mets are satisfied with Alonso and plan to re-sign him, they might explore the possibility of signing Soto, who is younger and a better all-around hitter. If the Mets pursue Soto and manage to sign him, the Yankees would need a replacement.
Since signing both Soto and Alonso would be expensive for the Mets, Alonso could serve as a good alternative for the Yankees. While Alonso lacks Soto’s discipline at the plate, he’s known for his power hitting.
As Heyman noted in the New York Post, “Could Pete Alonso of the Mets and Juan Soto of the Yankees switch teams this winter? While it’s more likely that one or both stars will remain with their current teams, the idea of these mega-stars swapping shouldn’t be dismissed outright.”
Yankees Could Welcome 2nd Choice
Alonso, a 29-year-old three-time All-Star, is currently in his prime and would be a solid option for the Yankees or any team looking for a top-tier power hitter next winter.
He’s shown remarkable durability, having missed only 24 games over his five MLB seasons prior to this one, and more importantly, he’s been consistently productive. Alonso led the league with 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019 and has hit 40 or more homers in each of the last two seasons. Despite hitting just .217, he managed to drive in a league-high 131 runs in 2022 and 118 runs last season.
In the first 20 games of this season, Alonso has already hit six homers and is batting .241.
There are differing projections for Alonso’s next contract. Tim Britton at The Athletic estimates he could receive a seven-year extension from the Mets worth $190 million. Spotrac initially predicted a nine-year, $270 million extension with the Mets heading into the 2024 season, but that didn’t materialize. Their current projection is an eight-year, $225 million deal.
Juan Soto Could Land Record Deal
Soto’s projected contract is significantly higher than Alonso’s. He has been delivering exactly what the Yankees were hoping for from the No. 2 spot, leading the league in walks (18) and on-base percentage (.469). He’s batting .354 with five home runs and 20 RBIs in 21 games.
Entering this season, Soto had hit 160 home runs in seven seasons, with a career-high of 35 last year. He also led the league in walks for three consecutive seasons, including a league-best 132 walks last year.
Soto is expected to command an annual salary of $34 million, with Spotrac projecting him to potentially secure a whopping 12-year, $408 million contract next winter.
Heyman, however, suggests that the Yankees might offer even more, possibly a record-breaking contract that would keep Soto in pinstripes.
“In fact, the Yankees appear ready to make a record-breaking offer, if you consider Shohei Ohtani’s $700M deal as $462M based on deferrals/net present value. Soto not only has an exceptional ability to get on base (leading the AL with .478), which has revitalized the Bronx Bombers, but he’s also already connecting with Yankee fans due to his enthusiastic demeanor,” Heyman wrote.
