The New York Mets reportedly have surprising chances to land Juan Soto in MLB Free Agency

The start of MLB Free Agency has begun with the spotlight on Juan Soto, with MLB rumors and news swirling about his free agent visits and the early favorites to land him. Although a decision is not imminent, there appear to be developments in the search for the perennial MVP candidate.

Soto, who just turned 26 in October, is coming off an MVP-caliber season in which he played an integral role in helping the New York Yankees return to the World Series. While New York ultimately fell short, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, Soto played well and further strengthened his free-agent stock.

• Juan Soto Stats (ESPN): .288/.419/.569, .989 OPS, 41 home runs, 109 RBI, 31 doubles

Related: MLB Insider Reveals New York Yankees ‘Plan B’ If Juan Soto Leaves

Following the World Series loss to Los Angeles, MLB news has emerged regarding Soto’s free-agent meetings with the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. He has also drawn interest from the San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies.

However, given his contributions to the Yankees’ lineup and what the front office gave up to acquire him last season, many considered New York the heavy favorite to re-sign Soto. It now appears that this race is more wide open than expected.

Related: Insider reveals a dark horse team that could steal Juan Soto

Jon Heyman of the New York Post spoke to MLB executives about Soto’s possible landing spot. Following team owner Steve Cohen’s meeting with Soto, many in the baseball world believe the Mets now have a “fair chance” to acquire Soto from the Yankees.

“It looks like (it will be) the Mets – they are an up and coming team and have money.”

Anonymous MLB executive of which team will sign Juan Soto

Related: MLB executives think the New York Mets are taking a surprising approach to free agency

• New York Mets Payroll 2025 (FanGraphs): $162 million

Signing Soto would mean he would become one of the highest-paid MLB players ever, with a salary that would likely add more than $50 million to the Mets payroll every year for the next decade. However, New York currently has more financial flexibility than that of the Dodgers, Phillies and Yankees.

Soto would become the star of the Mets lineup during his time on the East Coast. While signing him would mean losing first baseman Pete Alonso, New York has plenty of alternatives it can pursue at first or third base. Landing Soto would be the biggest move yet under Cohen and give the Mets a new face of the franchise who could play at an All-Star level for the next decade.