Juan Soto competition could become New York battle royal with Mets being ‘serious’ players

SAN ANTONIO — The Mets are said to be “serious” players for Yankees star free agent Juan Soto, which shouldn’t surprise a soul.

The Yankees, meantime, checked in on Mets star free agent Pete Alonso, and while they have legitimate interest in Alonso, that’s a backup plan to Soto, both teams’ Plan A.

Alonso is a big star, but in this case, he’s only a very intriguing secondary story. The New York-New York competition for Soto looks like it may become the battle royal of the winter. And while the Yankees have some obvious advantages, the Mets do, too.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner was an early supporter of Steve Cohen as a buyer for the Mets, and Steinbrenner had to know the day could be coming when he’d be battling with the newly deep-pocketed Mets for big-time stars. And that day is now here. No one knows yet, but no one should be surprised if the Mets wind up as the high Soto bidder.

While the Yankees hold the benefit of having a very nice 2024 season (including the World Series) with Soto, and are understandably painted as the favorite in this winter’s megaderby, the Mets are seen by the Yankees (and probably everyone else) as a real threat. Cohen nicely eschewed a run at Yankees homegrown superstar Aaron Judge a couple years ago. But politeness isn’t required here.

While the Yankees certainly also have the advantage (over anyone else) with their big history and bigger fan base, the Mets have more than deep pockets. They reached the NLCS and actually won one more game than the Yankees against the Dodgers.

Soto said all 30 teams have a chance following the Game 5 World Series loss to LA. So why not the Mets? (For the record, the Yankees have always seen the Mets as the biggest obstacle, though at least 11 teams are said to have checked in.)

Soto also made clear that winning is the priority (presumably along with the contract). And one more advantage the Yankees have is the great Judge to bat behind Soto, which he loves. No one could match that unless the Dodgers redid their lineup. While the Mets have emerging star Mark Vientos, is that enough? Could Soto and Alonso ultimately be a package deal for the team in Queens?

Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters here Tuesday that they’ve checked in on Alonso. And they have legit interest, but people familiar with the situation told The Post that Alonso, Anthony Santander and Alex Bregman, plus star pitchers (one of Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried, etc.) are all part of Plans B, C and/or D in case Soto doesn’t return to The Bronx. Soto figures to get $600M or more, so theoretically, the Yankees could sign three (or more) stars if they don’t get him.

The Yankees certainly have a decent shot at landing one or the other among the two New York stars (although some may suggest the Yankees would be wiser to look for a left-handed hitter if they lose Soto). But if a New York team is fortunate enough to land both New York stars, it’s not going to be The Bronx Bombers.