It appears the pressure is mounting on the Yankees ahead of the matchup with Juan Soto

If you read Jon Heyman’s report on the New York Mets meeting with Juan Soto, you will quickly realize that the Yankees are not at all a lock to re-sign Soto to what will be an astronomical contract. First off, the meeting went very well for the Mets, Heyman says, and the Mets are even optimistic about their chances of landing the 26-year-old slugger.

Of course, the Mets aren’t the only team looking to upend the Yankees’ chances of landing Soto. It is believed that the Boston Red Sox also want to return to the postseason next year and are very interested in Soto. However, the biggest spenders are likely to be the Mets and Yankees, who can probably be labeled as the two favorites.

As Fansided’s Mark Powell previously said (via Hector Gomez), the Mets are willing to offer more money, while the Yankees may be thinking a higher AAV and not as many years. Soto could hypothetically sign a slightly shorter deal if he wants to bet on himself again in free agency, but there’s no telling what kind of production Soto will make later in his career.

Let’s say Soto now wants to secure the bag and provide as many guarantees as possible, but the Mets are a dangerous team to watch. Owner Steve Cohen will have no problem spending as much money as necessary if they can get it from the Bronx to Queens.

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Whatever upper hand the Mets create for themselves must be matched 100 percent by the Yankees, leaving no room to lose the lanky superstar who hasn’t even reached his prime yet.

Offering a higher AAV is one route, but they also need to show a willingness to give him as many years as possible. The Yankees can’t afford to let Soto think about whether he could have “this” with the Yankees or “that” with the Mets.

As Heyman said, talks aren’t happening until mid-innings and it’s unclear if any formal offers have been made yet. Both teams will likely reject each other’s offers to Soto’s liking, and it will come down to a matter of when Soto himself wants to play. That won’t happen until he signs MLB Free Agency.