Could Scott Boras and Steve Cohen Have a Larger $1 Billion Plan?

When Juan Soto first became a free agent, the expectation was that he would sign a contract that was worth at least $500 million. This would have broken Shohei Ohtani’s record for the largest contract ever signed in terms of present day value.

Well, six weeks later, Soto broke Ohtani’s record by $300 million when it came to present-day value and even took the record in total value overall by signing a $765 million deal with the New York Mets.

This contract was the result of a bidding war, that pushed at least four teams past the $700 million mark. At the end of the day, it was Mets owner Steve Cohen who proved to have the biggest pockets, signing Soto to a contract that could escalate to $805 million depending on what happens with his opt-out clause.

The more you look into Soto’s contract, the more insane it becomes, as the 26-year-old is set to make over $120 million in 2025 as he collected a $75 million signing bonus and will get over $46 million of salary this year as well.

A deal this good for a player is something that agent Scott Boras has probably been dreaming about ever since Cohen bought the Mets prior to the 2021 season.

These parties have worked together in past, with the first big contract being Max Scherzer’s three-year, $130 million deal that just came to an end after the 2024 season.

The following year, Boras negotiated Brandon Nimmo’s eight-year, $162 million deal to remain with the Mets after a career year in 2022.

Still, none of that compared to a generational talent like Juan Soto, where Boras had the opportunity to obliterate the record for the richest contract in MLB history.

While Cohen won the bid in the end, the Yankees were close enough that if Soto really wanted to be a Yankee, he could have stayed. Instead, he was sold on the Mets vision for the rest of his career, and part of that plan had to be looking at what’s ahead in 2025.

Let’s take a quick drive down the hypothetical highway and imagine a world where there might have been a bigger plan laid between Boras and the Mets before getting Soto to sign on the dotted line. One that includes a couple more free agents from Boras’ client list who could be joining the Mets soon.

In the end, could Cohen hand Boras’ clients well over $1 billion in contracts this offseason?

With Soto getting them 3/4 of the way there, it would almost be surprising if the Mets didn’t have a plan with Boras that will take that total between one agent and one team to places that we have never seen before.

Phase 1: Sign Frankie Montas, Two-year, $34 million Deal

This preemptive strike laid the groundwork for the Mets to sign Juan Soto! Okay, not really.

Still, the first transaction between the Mets and Boras this offseason was signing Frankie Montas to a two-year, $34 million deal.

Montas chose the Mets based on their growing reputation for being able to get the most out of pitchers, such as Luis Severino and Sean Manaea in 2024. Montas spoke with both Severino and Manaea about their experiences, and ultimately signed a 1+1 deal to try to boost his market for a bigger free agent deal next offseason.

Manaea, another Boras client, laid this blueprint with the Mets last year, and is currently line to cash in on a multi-year deal that far exceeds the two-year, $28 million deal he originally signed a winter ago. Manaea was able to opt-out, and might even flirt with $100 million based on the interest he’s getting on the market (more on that later).

This signing of Montas represents a good relationship between Boras and the Mets, as they are being trusted to rebuild his value. It also adds $34 million into the bucket for how much the Mets have committed to Boras clients this winter.

Phase 2: Win the Sweepstakes for Juan Soto, $765 Million Deal

If there was a larger plan between Boras and the Mets, this is obviously where it all began.

The Mets and Juan Soto will never be seen the same after this deal they just agreed to, for better or worse. There is a pressure that it creates for both sides to make it a worthwhile investment. They need to win, and Soto alone will not get them there.

Now they have a good core in place, with MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and last year’s breakout star, Mark Vientos. Still, the lineup could use another slugger who can protect Soto.

Meanwhile the Mets also still need to add another frontline starter as well, as Kodai Senga represents their only top of the rotation arm at the moment, and he is coming off an injury plague year.

When looking at Boras’ remaining clients, he just so happens to have a few free agents that could fill those holes. And both of them are familiar faces.

Total Money Spent Through Two Phases: $799 Million

Potential Phase 3: Sign Sean Manaea

Projected: Four-year, $84 Million Deal

Sean Manaea may have only spent one season with the Mets, but it proved to be a match made in heaven. Manaea was a huge presence in the Mets clubhouse, and by the end of the season he took over as the ace of the staff.

Now he is set to cash in, and the prices for starting pitching have never been higher. Manaea belongs in a tier with Jack Flaherty and Nick Pivetta, with Walker Buehler being a highly-coveted free agent as well.

The Mets have expressed interest in all four of those free agents, but haven’t shown any interest in Boras’ other top client, Corbin Burnes. While we can never count out Cohen to spend a lump sum of money, Manaea feels like the more realistic investment for New York.

Set to make less than half, if not a third of what Burnes signs for, Manaea is the perfect fit to round out the Mets rotation.

Total Money Spent Through Three Phases: $883 Million

Potential Phase 4: Sign Pete Alonso

Projected: Six-year, $140 Million Deal

Last but not least, the New York Mets would not be complete without Pete Alonso. While he is no Aaron Judge, Alonso is the only hitter in baseball who has driven in more runs than Judge dating back to the 2019 season.

Alonso has made it pretty clear that his preference would be to re-sign with the Mets, and one can only imagine that the addition of Soto makes that desire even greater.

If Soto was concerned about protection in the lineup, it is not hard to connect the dots on where that protection could come from. Sure, Vientos had a great season, but he has not proven to be a consistent 40-HR, 100-RBI threat like Alonso.

With Alonso being a former Met, who is also represented by Boras, the writing should be on the wall for a deal to get done. It might not be on paper yet, and they may be testing the market to get a price, but Alonso coming back to the Mets is the piece that will make their lineup complete.

Whether it has been discussed behind closed doors or not, the Mets and Boras have too many overlapping interests at this time to not keep working together. And when they do, there is every chance that Boras not only clears one billion from Steve Cohen. But even pushes for another quarter of a billion dollars on top of that.

Total Money Spent Through Four Phases: $1.23 Billion