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New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto

Talk about adding insult to injury.

When Juan Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets last December, it was a tough day for New York Yankees fans. Soto, acquired by the Yankees in a December 2023 trade with the San Diego Padres, spent only one season in pinstripes, but what a season it was.

Soto batted .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs in 2024, finishing third in American League MVP voting, as the Yankees advanced to the World Series for the first time since 2009. For a brief, golden moment, it looked like Soto and the Yankees were built to rule October together.

Then came the shock. The man who brought swagger back to the Bronx crossed boroughs, signing with the Mets and opening a wound that likely won’t heal anytime soon.

And now, there’s a real possibility for the Mets to pour some salt in that wound.

MLB Analyst Suggests Cody Bellinger & Trent Grisham Could Sign With the Mets

In a report for MLB.com, insider Mark Feinsand ranked the top 30 free agents of the 2025-26 offseason — and Yankees fans may not love what he had to say. Two of their own outfielders are not only expected to test the market, but they’ve also been linked, in early chatter, to none other than the Mets.

The first is Cody Bellinger, who landed at No. 5 on Feinsand’s list. After resurrecting his career in New York, the 30-year-old did everything the Yankees hoped for and more. He slugged 29 home runs, drove in 98, and posted an .814 OPS — a steadying, versatile force in a lineup that had once been all-or-nothing. For much of 2025, Bellinger was the one who made the offense hum when Aaron Judge wasn’t driving the bus.

Boosted by his on-field success, Bellinger decided to opt out of his contract, and he’s poised to cash in again — maybe not on Soto’s historic scale, but certainly on one that will have multiple bidders, including those from across town. The Mets have money, momentum, and now a clear blueprint: collect stars, especially ones who already know what it’s like to play under the New York microscope.

And that’s where the sting deepens — because the other Yankee name on Feinsand’s list has a connection that twists the knife even further.

Trent Grisham, who ranked No. 14, came to the Yankees in that same December 2023 trade that brought Soto from San Diego. In other words, the very deal that delivered Soto — the one fans still debate as a high-water moment for Brian Cashman’s front office — may end up supplying the Mets with not one, but two players from that blockbuster.

Grisham turned in a quietly strong 2025 campaign, doubling his home run total from the previous year and posting a career-best 3.5 WAR. He was the steady, defensive-minded outfielder who filled gaps when injuries hit, and his improvement at the plate gave him real value heading into free agency. The Yankees could extend a qualifying offer, but Grisham will have options — and a reunion with Soto, in Queens, would be the cruelest kind of baseball poetry.

The Mets Could Follow the Signing of Juan Soto by Adding Two More Yankees Outfielders

That possibility looms over everything the Yankees do this winter. Losing Soto was one thing; losing his old trade partner to the same team would feel like insult layered on irony.

And beyond those two, Feinsand’s list painted a broader picture of a franchise at a crossroads. The Yankees have big names still locked in — Judge, Cole, Volpe, Domínguez — but their flexibility is shrinking. Free agency could test the organization’s willingness to spend, adapt, and stay relevant in an arms race that’s now literally playing out across the East River.

Because if the Mets keep raiding their emotional reserves — taking Soto, threatening to lure away Bellinger, maybe even Grisham — the Yankees may find themselves in unfamiliar territory: the quieter half of New York baseball.

The Yankees once built their brand on dominance, swagger, inevitability. The Mets are now borrowing that script. And for Yankee fans who watched Soto light up the Bronx before walking straight to Queens, it’s a feeling they can’t quite shake — that for the first time in decades, the city’s baseball balance might be shifting.

One star at a time.

Dave Benson is a veteran writer with over three decades of journalism experience covering sports primarily in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent several years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson

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