Juan Soto will be the biggest name on the free agent market this winter, and a few teams are set to make a run at him.
It feels like the free agency sweepstakes of OF Juan Soto started way before now, going back to 2022 when the Washington Nationals were in the midst of another disappointing season as they couldn’t find any team success since winning the World Series in 2019. This would ultimately lead to one of the biggest blockbuster trades we’ve even seen. Washington sent Soto and 1B Josh Bell to the San Diego for SS CJ Abrams, SP MacKenzie Gore, OF prospects James Wood and Robert Hassell, as well as prospect SP Jarlin Susana. The biggest reason the Nationals got such a haul was that Soto had two years of team control remaining before he became a free agent while having another superstar season at age 23.
It’s crazy to look back two years ago and see that Juan being a free agent was such a big deal while he still had a couple of years of arbitration left. He was traded again over the offseason to the New York Yankees and is currently amidst another MVP-type season in his last couple of months before free agency. The superstar has received “resign Soto” chants from the right field bleachers every time he stands in his position at Yankee Stadium, a clear sign to the Yankees front office of what the fans want.
Potential Contract
There have been talks about whether Soto was a $600 million player while he was still with the Nationals after turning down a 15-year, $440 million extension in 2022, and now with DH Shohei Ohtani receiving $700 million from the Dodger’s last winter, it isn’t shocking to assume Juan Soto could be the second highest paid player in all of baseball. Now it is just a matter of where he wants to sign, for what we can only assume will be a team that he finishes his career with. It is safe to predict these three teams will be in on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, so let’s break down what these teams can offer Soto to lure him in.
New York Yankees
The Yankees are the favorite to bring Soto back to the Bronx. They have the richest culture in baseball, and it’s clear that Juan is very comfortable playing under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium. On top of that, he hits back-to-back with the best hitter in baseball in OF Aaron Judge, putting up another historic season hitting behind him for what could be his entire tenure in pinstripes. The Yanks’ lineup will look very different if the former batting title winner isn’t penciled into their lineup every day. Adding on the pressure from the fanbase to bring him back, the 27-time World Series-winning club has no other choice but to sign him.
New York Mets
No owner in baseball is willing to pay a player more than Mets owner Steve Cohen, so if Soto is looking for a certain number, look no further than the Mets. Being able to stay in New York and play for an almost equally passionate fanbase as the one in the Bronx shouldn’t be a concern for the four-time All-Star. The biggest problem with the Mets is that they have been struggling to consistently win every season, either being mediocre or fighting their way to the playoffs and losing in the first round. Still, having an owner who is willing to spend what it takes to win should sway Soto’s interest.
Washington Nationals
This team is by far the most interesting potential fit for Juan Soto. A reunion with the team that signed him as an amateur and where he won a World Series as a main contributor could be compelling. As I wrote about at the beginning, the Nationals haul they got for Soto from the Padres is the biggest part of their core they have, which may intrigue the 2019 World Series champion. An outfield consisting of 22-year-old Dylan Crews, 21-year-old James Wood and 25-year-old Jacob Young, they have all shown potential and the tools to star in the league, and under team control for the foreseeable future. With the breakout of their stars Abrams and 2B Luis Garcia Jr., it gives them another piece in a key position to convince Soto to retire in D.C.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Mets and Yankees are the favorites to sign Juan Soto this offseason, but Nightengale is also reporting the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays are two teams that will “at least attempt” to sign Soto, but unless they are willing to dish out franchise record contracts and convince him of their cultures, it is a longshot he will agree to sign with them.
Whether Soto reunites in the Bronx, gets a record deal in Queens, or goes back to where it all started in D.C., Juan’s free agency will be one of the biggest sweepstakes of the MLB offseason, and only time will tell what Juan Soto will decide.
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