Insider shares free-agency updates on Yankees' Juan Soto, Mets' Pete Alonso

MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post raised eyebrows when he suggested Thursday night that New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto and New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso could swap teams via free agency this fall. 

Interestingly, Heyman also revealed that sources told him that "the Yankees will make Soto their 'top priority'" during the next offseason. 

Soto joined the Yankees from the San Diego Padres via a December trade and is unquestionably in the early days of a love affair with the New York fan base. 

He is not expected to give the Yankees any type of discount during contract negotiations, but Heyman noted that the Bronx Bombers "seem primed to make a record offer" to the three-time All-Star who turns 26 years old in October. 

It was reported earlier this week that Scott Boras, Soto's agent, likely "will target" $500M "in a total package" and a contract that could be worth roughly $50M per season. Across his first 19 games in pinstripes, Soto posted a .352 batting average with a 1.055 OPS, four home runs and 17 RBI. 

The Yankees have begun the campaign at 13-6. 

As for Alonso's future, multiple in-the-know individuals have speculated that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has "little interest" in paying a power-hitting first baseman who turns 30 years old in December. 

However, Heyman indicated that Mets owner Steve Cohen could instruct Stearns "to make a run at Alonso" before thinking about any pursuit of Soto because of how beloved the "Polar Bear" is among fans of the Amazins. 

"Cohen didn’t buy the team to become less popular, and he surely understands the loss of Alonso won’t be well-received," Heyman explained. "He could change the story, of course, by signing Soto, but considering Soto’s probable preference for pinstripes, he might have to outbid the Yankees by a lot, to the point where Alonso might actually become the better bargain." 

Cohen is MLB’s richest owner and can afford to sign both Soto and Alonso after the World Series. With that said, the Mets' failed attempts to land two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto this past offseason showed that even the billionaire hedge-fund manager has a spending limit. 

If Cohen learns that the Yankees truly are the favorites to sign Soto to a historic deal before Christmas 2024, whispers about the Mets shopping Alonso before this summer's trade deadline may quiet down sooner rather than later.