It's not often you can say the team with the highest payroll in the sport was a fun underdog story, but that's exactly what the New York Mets were in 2024. They went 75-87 and missed the postseason in 2023 -- things went so sour they sold at the trade deadline -- then rebounded to go 89-73 in 2024,

With it appearing more and more the free-agent slugger is a priority for the team this offseason, Mets owner Steve Cohen plans to travel to Southern California next week to meet with Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, according to industry sources. Several other owners are expected to meet with Boras and Soto in the coming weeks.

Despite a late-season spiral, the Red Sox remained one of baseball’s top offenses in 2024, finishing sixth in slugging (.423) and tying the Astros for seventh in OPS (.741). They achieved those marks with some players who were getting their real first sniff at the big-league level.