Report: Yankees want to ‘swap’ Juan Soto for a projected $225m Slugger

It would not be a standard trade in the sense of two teams agreeing on a deal.

However, according to New York baseball insider Jon Heyman, the Yankees and Mets could end up pulling off a de facto swap of star sluggers Pete Alonso and Juan Soto, with the Mets signing Soto away from the Bronx and the Yankees heisting Alonso out of Queens.

The logic is sound. Naturally, the Mets are pleased with Alonso and intend to re-sign him. However, they may first take a detour and test the waters with Soto, who is four years younger than Alonso and is the stronger overall hitter. If that relationship takes off and the Mets sign Soto, the Yankees will be looking for a replacement.

Signing both Alonso and Soto would be prohibitively expensive for the Mets, thus Alonso would be an excellent consolation prize for the Yankees. He’s not as disciplined as Soto, but he’s a pure slugger.

As Heyman wrote in the New York Post, “Is it possible that slugging superstars Pete Alonso of the Mets and Juan Soto of the Yankees will trade places this winter?” While the most likely scenario is for one or both major free agents to stay put, the chance of the mega-stars switching teams can not be dismissed outright.”

Yankees Could Welcome 2nd Choice

Alonso, of course, is a 29-year-old three-time All-Star in the prime of his career, making him a solid second option for the Yankees or anyone looking for a top-tier slugger next winter.

He has been highly durable, missing only 24 games in five MLB seasons prior to this one, and, more importantly, he has been quite productive. Alonso led the league with 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019, and he has hit 40 or more home runs in each of the last two seasons. He drove in a league-leading 131 runs in 2022 and 118 last season despite hitting only.217.

He has six home runs and a.241 batting average in his first 20 games this season.

Alonso’s planned transactions differ. Tim Britton of The Athletic believes he might receive a seven-year agreement from the Mets worth $190 million.

Spotrac predicted a nine-year, $270 million agreement with the Mets for the 2024 season, but it did not come to fruition. So they’ve decided on an eight-year, $225 million deal.

Juan Soto Could Land Record Deal

That’s significantly less than Soto’s forecast. He’s been exactly what the Yankees expected from the No. 2 spot, leading the league in walks (18) and on-base percentage (.469). In 21 games, he’s hit.354, with five home runs and 20 RBIs.

Soto had 160 home runs in seven seasons before this one, including a career-high 35 last year. He also had the league’s most walks, 132, and has led the league in walks for three consecutive seasons.

Soto is slated to earn $34 million per year, and Spotrac believes he is worth a (long breath) 12-year, $408 million contract next winter.

Heyman, on the other hand, believes the Yankees will make an even bigger offer, a record-breaking contract that will keep him in pinstripes.

“The Yankees, in fact, appear poised to make a record offer if you count Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract as $462 million based on deferrals/net present value.” Soto is not just an on-base machine (an AL best.478) who has returned the Yankees to Bronx Bomber status, but he has already formed bonds with Yankee fans due to his joyful manner,” Heyman noted.