When Juan Soto said after signing with the Mets — choosing them over the Yankees — that he did so in part because playing in Queens gave him “the best chances” to win during his lengthy (15 years) and lucrative ($765 million) contract, it caught people’s attention, especially when he specified “winning” meant the World Series. 

“We looked at what other teams wanted to do and what everybody wants to do for the next 15 years, and I think we have the best chances over here,” Soto said. 

For virtually all of the past 30 years, most observers would have said Soto was wrong and the Yankees were the easy choice in that category, but that’s no longer the case. 

While the Yankees reached the World Series last season, where they lost to the Dodgers in five games, the Mets showed they weren’t far behind, losing to the same Dodgers team in six games in the NLCS.