Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the New York Mets are currently in talks with Jonathan Loáisiga of the New York Yankees after securing superstar free agent Juan Soto on Saturday night.
“The right-hander meets two key criteria the Mets value,” Sherman noted. “He has a strong connection to Carlos Mendoza from their time together with the Yankees and represents the type of low-cost, high-upside bullpen arm that David Stearns tends to pursue.”
After playing in just three Yankees games, Loáisiga had elbow surgery in April that ended his season. With 207 strikeouts, 84 earned runs, and a 2.9 K/BB ratio, his lifetime ERA is at 3.44.
Like his former Yankees teammate-turned-Met Clay Holmes, the 30-year-old is a powerful sinker who induces a lot of ground balls. Harrison Bader, Adam Ottavino, Luis Severino, and Luis Torrens are all on the Mets’ 2024 roster from the Yankees, making them a Yankees 2.0 destination in addition to Holmes, Soto, and just re-signed pitcher Frankie Montas.
According to ESPN, Loáisiga is attracting interest from the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Blue Jays, and Yankees in addition to the Mets.
Given that he is anticipated to have significant contact prior to the season as a preliminary bullpen member, his recovery from injury is anticipated to be excellent.
Ex-MLB player Jorge Castill remarked, “With his electric arsenal, highlighted by a 98 mph sinker, he’s a valuable bullpen asset for teams aiming to compete.”
The league is affected by Soto’s hefty deal.
Dallas — Agent Scott Boras and almost a dozen of his employees entered Nick & Sam’s, a restaurant close to the winter meetings hotel, shortly after signing a record 15-year, $765 million contract for Juan Soto with the New York Mets.
In addition to eating deviled eggs, crab, shrimp, and a New York strip steak—appropriate considering the Mets had cut the All-Star outfielder from the rival Yankees—they were presented with a bottle of celebratory champagne.
“Scott and his horde of staff are approaching. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who was watching from across the room on Sunday night, compared it to the “Gladiator.”
A physical was still pending on Soto’s contract, which was the longest and biggest in baseball history. The Yankees, who on Sunday morning increased their offer from $712.5 million for 15 years to $760 million over 16 years, were hurt by the agreement, which echoed around the winter meetings.
“When Soto’s playing career ends, my oldest child will be 28 years old—that really puts things into perspective for me,” said Buster Posey, former MVP catcher and current president of baseball operations for San Francisco.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone learned about Soto’s decision as his flight landed in Dallas.
“The moment the wheels touched down, I got the alert on my phone that he had signed with the Mets,” Boone shared.
He sent a face emoji to former Yankees coach Carlos Mendoza, now the Mets’ manager, but Mendoza didn’t grasp the meaning behind it.
Mendoza shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I sent him another face,” on Monday.
If the Mets exercise their right to nullify Soto’s option to opt out after the 2029 season, his contract, which includes a $75 million signing bonus, would increase to $805 million.
“When I saw the bonus, I was taken aback. “My goodness,” said Terry Francona, manager of Cincinnati, considering the impact on the cost of players for other teams. “I don’t blame teams for doing it if they can, but I do think it makes things more difficult. The rules aren’t being broken by them. We must minimize those since we will need to make very wise choices and cannot afford to overspend on errors.”
In a free-agent market highlighted by pitchers Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, first basemen Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, third baseman Alex Bregman, and outfielder Anthony Santander, Soto’s contract has set even loftier expectations.
“Whether it’s through trades or free agency, I think everyone’s objective is to finalize their deals as quickly as possible,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.
Steve Cohen, the billionaire owner of the Mets, has been baseball’s biggest spender over the past two years, leaving some teams wary of his financial clout.
“We’re determined to win, and we have an owner who’s committed to doing whatever it takes,” Mendoza said.
Although several small-market teams have long called for a salary ceiling, there has been general agreement since the 1994–1995 strike not to set a strict restriction because doing so would likely lead to another protracted work stoppage. December 2026 is when the present labor contract expires.
The Soto market was too expensive for the majority of clubs.
“We must use our imagination. Matt Quatraro, the manager of Kansas City, stated, “We must include the top 40 players or the top 26 players on a squad, not just the top two. “I continue to believe that you have a chance to face those men in the end. Soto will strike four or five times per night. With a full 26-man roster, there are various methods to counteract such impactful at-bats.
After assisting Washington in winning the 2019 World Series, 26-year-old Soto declined a 15-year, $440 million deal from the Nationals in 2022 and was transferred to San Diego.
“I can proudly say I’m the only manager to win a World Series with him,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters. “How about that?”
Last December, San Diego traded Soto to the Yankees.
“I don’t think there’s anything we could have done differently,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. “Apart from winning the World Series, everything went as planned.”
Soto and Aaron Judge played pivotal roles in leading the Yankees to their first AL title since 2009, though the team ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
