Juan Soto isn’t the only star the Mets are trying to steal from the Yankees

The New York Yankees and New York Mets are at war this winter. The Mets gave free agent Juan Soto a 15-year, $765 million contract to lure the 26-year-old from the Bronx to Queens. Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman and Co. fell just short, offering Soto around $740 million, according to various reports.

While Soto was a big fish, the Mets are far from finished. New York needs starting depth as Luis Severino has already been lost to the Athletics and Sean Manaea is still available as a free agent. Instead of spending more of Steve Cohen’s money on a quality starting player, the best path forward for the Mets may be through the trade market.

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According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, both the Mets and Yankees are interested in Chicago White Sox standout Garrett Crochet, who is expected to be traded sometime this offseason, if not at the Winter Meetings themselves. The good news for the Mets, according to Rosenthal, is that they have an advantage.

“After beating the Yankees for Soto, the Mets appear to have the edge for Crochet as well because of the young talent they can offer. “The White Sox ideally want hitters who are major league ready,” Rosenthal wrote.

The best of the Mets’ long-range system fits that description, most notably Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuña. While the White Sox could certainly use some pitching depth after replacing Crochet, they are still many, many steps away from victory after posting a league-worst 121 losses in 2024. At this point in their rebuild, Chicago particularly values ​​center field prospects if they can be paired with the White Sox’ top prospect, Colson Montgomery.

The Mets can also offer Brett Baty, whose name has already been mentioned in trade talks, or Mark Vientos, another young MLB-ready corner infielder. The Mets already have a better farm system than the Yankees, and it doesn’t help that Jasson Dominguez, the Yanks’ most sought-after prospect, is an outfielder. Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. also come with their own questions that don’t help the Yankees case.

The Mets made a big splash by signing Soto. Crochet could be next, although the White Sox are expected to take their time.