We can look at Juan Soto’s achievements and speculate what he’ll bring the New York Mets throughout his record-setting 15-year deal. But until we see him in action, we won’t know. But what does his signing mean for baseball in New York?
We can give that question a more concrete response right now.
Shortly after the deal broke, SNY’s Andy Martino jumped on the station and spoke about the team’s new superstar. Host Eamon McAnaney asked Martino to describe how the deal came together. Martino did eventually talk about that — but not until discussing the historic significance of Soto signing with the Mets.
“I want to zoom all the way back out just to describe this for what it is,” Martino said. “Just taking a breath and reminding everyone, this is a seminal moment in the history of New York baseball. There have been New York baseball teams for like 150 years or so. And this is one of those few moments — granted, something that’s happened off the field; it’s not a championship or anything like that — but will be remembered forever.”
Martino then recalled that less than 24 years earlier, the Mets’ pursuit of Soto was mocked as part of a Saturday Night Live sketch.
“Last night, the Mets were a joke on Saturday Night Live,” he said. “They were joking, ‘Oh, Soto will go to the Mets to help out a charitable cause.’ Well, this is no joke. This is Steve Cohen fulfilling the promise to Mets fans and New York baseball fans that came with him when he bought this team in 2020.”
“This is a seminal moment in the history of New York baseball…Last night, the Mets were a joke on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ They were joking, ‘Oh, Soto will go to the Mets to helo out a charitable cause.’
Well this is no joke.”
Andy Martino on Juan Soto signing with the Mets. pic.twitter.com/x37f6Bj1GK
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 9, 2024
Martino’s comments came just minutes after McAnaney shared the news of Soto’s signing on SNY. He then spoke with co-hosts Anthony McCarron and Chris Lopresti.
Both shared Martino’s view, as well as that of play-by-play man Gary Cohen, on the significance of Soto’s signing.
“The history reverberations here, through the Met franchise, we won’t be able to comprehend them I think for a little while here,” McCarron said. “That’s how enormous this is. I mean, we all know about the player. A 26-year-old mega slugger who is an on-base machine, gets compared to Ted Williams. For the Mets to go in and give this enormous deal. This, to me, proves that Steve Cohen, when he wants a player, can go get him and use the power of his pocketbook to do so. He took him away from the Yankees. That’s going to be a big deal in the city between Met fans, Yankee fans, the banter is going to be off the charts here, I think. And the Mets got themselves an incredible outfielder.”
SNY breaks in with the news that Juan Soto is going to the Mets.
“For the Mets to go in and give this enormous deal. This, to me, proves that Steve Cohen, when he wants a player, can go get him and use the power of his pocket book to do so.”
– Anthony Mccarron. pic.twitter.com/ZlHvGHm93H
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 9, 2024
“Look,” Lopresti said. “We’ve seen, business has not been usual since Steve Cohen has taken over ownership of the team. We’ve seen that throughout a variety of moves, both on the trade market and in free agency. But this feels like the real first major flexing of the muscle from Steve Cohen. The more you listen and follow and track how this was going down and the other teams that were involved, it almost felt that no matter what, he wasn’t going to be outbid.”
