Executives and insiders suggest the New York Mets may be the "clear-cut favorite" to sign Juan Soto, as owner Steve Cohen’s aggressive spending could outpace all rivals.

Like the rest of the baseball world, Mets owner Steve Cohen can’t escape the Juan Soto talk. At an event for the New York Golf Club’s inaugural season on Monday, Cohen was asked what his message is to fans regarding the Mets’ pursuit of the 26-year-old right fielder.

As the richest owner in baseball, the splashy moves began in 2022 when then-general manager Billy Eppler made a big swing by signing Scherzer to a record annual contract, along with supplementary deals to add Starling Marte and Mark Canha and a trade to land Chris Bassitt. Suddenly, the Mets had the second-highest payroll in baseball.