SAN ANTONIO — Steve Cohen’s net worth might significantly outshine the Steinbrenner family’s, but the Yankees aren’t worried that will prevent them from retaining the best player on the free-agent market.
At the GM meetings on Tuesday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman acknowledged the Mets are a threat to sign Juan Soto.
And yet, he said, the Mets’ seemingly unlimited resources with Cohen as the owner guarantee nothing and laughed when asked if Cohen made him nervous.
“That is just the nature of the beast,” Cashman said. “[But] big-market owners with deep pockets aren’t the only ones signing players to big deals. You have seen the San Diego Padres sitting out on the west coast, they have imported a lot of big-time players and big-time contracts and outcompeted teams of interest for, so it comes in various forms, in various cities at various times.
“The market this time of year is coming this strong from all different aspects of the baseball universe, so we have to do our best to compete with whomever on a year-in and year-out basis.”
Cohen’s net worth, according to Forbes, is $21.3 billion.
Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner and his three siblings (or their families) each have a net worth of $1.5 billion, according to the same source.
Soto, 26, could be in line for a contract in the $600 million neighborhood.
Cashman was asked what kind of threat the Mets pose in the Soto sweepstakes.
“They want to win,” Cashman said. “They are in a large market with us, had a taste of success this year and they want to move the needle even more forward. The best way to do that is import quality players to what you already have. That is what we, they and anybody interested in winning, being the last team standing — that is what it’s all about, trying to find great players and add it to your mix.”
Even with Cohen’s deep pockets, the Mets never got heavily involved in Shohei Ohtani’s free agency last winter, sensing the Japanese star wanted to remain on the west coast — he ultimately signed a heavily deferred 10-year contract worth $700 million with the Dodgers.
The Mets pursued Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but the Japanese right-hander — with a similar offer from the Mets as leverage — accepted a 12-year deal worth $325 million from the Dodgers.
Cashman has begun his recruitment of Soto, who hit 41 homers and posted a .989 OPS in helping the Yankees to the World Series.
Cashman said he had discussions on Tuesday with Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, about a potential reunion, and the Yankees are prepared to put their “best foot forward.” But Cashman also indicated that re-signing Soto wasn’t imperative.
“If we can’t [retain Soto], there’s a lot of different players in this marketplace that can positively impact this roster in different ways,” Cashman said. “We want to explore any way possible to put together the best team we can for 2025 because we want to get back to where we just finished, which was in the World Series.”
The Post reported last week that the Mets were believed to be among the first wave of teams to check in on Soto following the Yankees’ loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series.
But Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is yet to publicly acknowledge the team’s interest in Soto.
Cashman said it’s still unclear if Soto and Yankees brass will meet in person.
“Since he knows us, we are standing ready to meet with him if he feels it necessary to meet with us,” Cashman said. “He understands the landscape of opportunities that now exist for himself. He’s played in San Diego. He’s played in Washington. Now he’s played here. So we are more than willing to meet as many times as he would like to meet.”
