Mets among first teams to check in on Juan Soto after World Series

Juan Soto is officially a free agent, and there is no shortage of early interest. Roughly a dozen teams have checked in on Soto (it’s believed the Mets are among them) in the aftermath of the Yankees’ loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday.The Mets’ interest is no surprise: The 26-year-old outfielder is the premier player on the market, and the team has a need for another bat and the payroll flexibility. Soto was asked about the Mets specifically after what could have been his final game with the Yankees. “I don’t know what teams are going to come after me, but definitely I will be open to this and every single team,” Soto said.

“I don’t have any doors closed.” The Yankees could extend a qualifying offer worth $21.05 million to Soto for next season that would bring draft-pick compensation if he departs through free agency.The Mets, as they look to retool their farm system, aren’t expected to go heavy on players with qualifying offers attached, but would make an exception for Soto, who produced at a .288/.419/.569 clip with 41 homers and 109 RBIs during the regular season. The Mets have about $90 million in dead money coming off the books from players such as Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and James McCann, all of whom were traded in the middle of multi-year contracts. Soto is expected to land the richest contract in MLB history (in present day dollars).

Shohei Ohtani received a 12-year contract worth $700 million from the Dodgers last winter, but the deal was heavily deferred, leaving the present day value at $437.4 million.Those deferrals could allow the Dodgers to become a major player in the Soto sweepstakes....