In a new interview, New York Mets President David Stearns revealed plans to sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto began well before fans realized.

This has been a good offside for the Mets. They entered the offseason with hopes of filling holes and improving a roster that surprised MLB by reaching the NLCS in October. And a case can be made that they are better now than they were at the end of the season.

While they have made several signings over the last few months, there is one specific reason for the increased expectations in 2025: Juan Soto. The 26-year-old was the top free agent in this year’s class and one of the biggest of this century. It is not common for an elite player to hit the open market as they are just entering their prime.

All of the league’s wealthiest teams were involved in the bidding for the four-time All-Star. But the Mets made an offer — $765 million — and a pitch Soto could not refuse. While there had been rumblings for months the team would be suitors for the former Yankees star, it seems early plans to target the youngster this offseason began over a year ago.

• Juan Soto stats (2024): .288 AVG, .419 OBP, .569 SLG, .989 OPS, 41 HR, 109 RBI, 128 R

New York Mets had Juan Soto in crosshairs over a year ago

“Soto was among a host of players that Steve and I discussed during the period where we were discussing me taking on this position,” Stearns told CNBC recently. “And so I think I understood Steve’s perspective, and he very much understood my perspective as I was coming into this position on our pursuit of elite free agents. And there aren’t a lot of them out there.

“There aren’t a whole lot of opportunities to be able to acquire a generational type player, a potential future Hall of Famer on the available market, usually you’re trading young players,” he added. “And in this case, Juan was a free agent at a very early stage in his career, and that’s why he attracted so much attention.

Cohen started talking with David Stearns in September of 2023 and eventually hired him to take over the franchise as president early in October. So the two were eyeing Juan Soto over a year before he even hit the open market. As well as a few months before he became a Yankee.

• Juan Soto contract: 15 years, $765 million

Mets president adds more insight to club’s strategy to lure Soto away from the Yankees

Stearns also offered more insight on strategizing how they would be able to persuade the talented outfielder to leave their crosstown rivals.

“All you can really do is do your internal work to determine that you have the best understanding possible as to who this player is on the field and who he is off the field,” said Stearns. “So that we can set our own internal valuations, understand how far we’re willing to go, what makes sense for our franchise, the impact he can have on the field, off the field for us, but also understand what might appeal to the player.

“A big part of this process with a premium free agent is the non-monetary aspects of the deal, the recruitment, him understanding who we are as an organization, then ultimately his determination as to whether we’re the right fit.”