Evan: Steve Cohen must prove he is for real and sign Juan Soto
Juan Soto is officially a free agent, and Evan Roberts says it's now an acceptable time to declare that the Mets have to sign the superstar.
No longer is it about dreaming of plucking the Yankees star. Now, Soto is on the open market, and it's about Steve Cohen proving that he is who Evan and Mets fans believed him to be as an aggressive owner willing to pay whatever it takes to build a champion.
"They have to sign Juan Soto, and the 'they' are the New York Mets," Evan said. "I'm no longer talking about someone who is with you...he's available! He'll sleep with anybody for the right price! To me, the person he must end up marrying is Steve Cohen and the New York Mets."
Evan says it is time for the Mets to prove that they are the big market team, and correct years of missing out on some of the game's biggest stars, including back in 2000.
"That winter, it was, 'Oh my God, the Mets are gonna get A-Rod,'" Evan said. "This was the best player in baseball at 25 years old...if they got him, everything would have been different...for a myriad of reasons, it didn't happen.
"Here we are 24 years later, and while there always good free agents...how often is there a free agent like this?"
The money will be massive, but Evan says Cohen has to be the highest bidder, and has to bring Soto to Queens. In a year where the Mets nearly won a pennant but still didn't draw big crowds at Citi Field, Soto will fill seats, help the Mets take the next step, and justify what will be a record contract.
"If you want to make an even bigger impact, it's bringing in box office," Evan said. "There are very few players in Major League Baseball that qualify as box office, but he's one of them.
"This is why this is the litmus test for Steve Cohen...this is the test on if he's just a big market owner, or if he's the big market owner."
