The New York Mets have targeted Juan Soto for the better part of a calendar year. Heck, Steve Cohen even committed to a lower payroll (by his standards) in 2024 with the idea he’d be the frontrunner for Soto this winter.

Thus far, the Soto chase has played out much like Cohen thought. The Yankees and Mets are likely the frontrunners for him, with the Red Sox and Blue Jays in the periphery. The Mets have the most money to spend on Soto, and it’s rare for a Yankees star to switch sides in their Subway Series rivalry. In this case, I mean a true star, and Soto would certainly qualify.

Cohen and the Mets are expected to be among the highest offers for Soto. In the end, the 26-year-old will have to decide between a Yankees legacy and the financial capital he could gain by signing with the team in Queens. In mileage, it’s not a huge difference. In status, they are oceans apart.

Mets reported Juan Soto offer is embarrassing for MLB

The reported offers from the Mets are…let’s just say a lot. Spotify ran with a reported $50 million AAV – with little of it deferred like Shohei Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers – meaning a Soto contract alone could be more than the payroll of some teams entirely.

The #Mets are reportedly approaching $50M per year with Juan Soto (15 yrs, $750M).

The #Marlins are almost certain to begin 2025 with a 26-man roster that costs less than $50M.

— Spotrac (@spotrac) December 8, 2024

MLB has a problem. There are too many owners of small-market teams aiming to make an immense profit rather than put a good product on the field. The Marlins are just one of those teams, and there are plenty more where that came from.

The problem here is not Soto, nor the Mets. It is these select owners willing to watch the on-field product suffer in exchange for luxury tax money and media income. That is not acceptable, and in an ideal world Rob Manfred would push these folks out of the league entirely.

Of course, we do not live in an ideal world. The solution could be a salary floor, rather than a cap. Forcing teams to spend a certain amount of money on the roster would – if set at a respectable point – make an impact. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays might actually have to spend for once.

It’ll never pass, but the offseasons of Soto and Ohtani have proven there are two classes of MLB franchises. The separation between those two is growing by the season.