Poll of MLB execs and agents reveals many believe New York Yankees ‘stale,’ New York Mets better set up for long-term success

An unofficial poll of various executives and player agents around MLB details why many believe the New York Yankees have hit their peak, and the New York Mets are the real team on the rise in Gotham.

This has been an interesting last few weeks for both the Mets and Yankees. After making deep runs in the playoffs that both ended with ousters by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the two NYC teams engaged in the biggest free agent battle in sports history: The Juan Soto sweepstakes.

However, when the dust settled, it was the Mets and billionaire owner Steve Cohen who won the war for Soto. It sent shockwaves throughout New York baseball and seemed to set a new tone for the years ahead. However, in his introductory press conference, Soto suggested that the power shift in New York was already happening and he admired the Queens club while he competed in the Bronx this year.

The idea that the Mets have momentum that the Yankees lack it isn’t an opinion held just by Juan Soto. It looks to be a shared feeling of many influential individuals around the game.

Some around MLB believe New York Yankees organization has gotten stale, New York Mets more attractive

Over the weekend, New York Post MLB insider Joel Sherman revealed findings from an admittedly unscientific poll of executives and agents around MLB about which of the two organizations is better set up for the next five years. Nine of the 14 people questioned chose the Mets over the Yankees.

Many of those who favor the team from Queens often cited the bottomless wealth of owner Steve Cohen and the savvy baseball know-how of president David Stearns were major reasons why the Mets have far more upside. For those who chose the Bronx Bombers, it was more due to their long-term success. And it always being hard to bet against the Yanks. Not any specific organizational factors.

“There’s more attraction with the Mets than with the Yankees,” an NL executive told Sherman. “The Mets are on an upward trajectory, where the Yankees are probably at their ceiling, even with [Max] Fried. I get why [Soto] signed with the Mets. The Yankees are always going to be the Yankees. They’re very good, but there’s also staleness to the organization.”