Superstar free agent sweepstakes Juan Soto is expected to enter its next phase, as ESPN’s Buster Olney reported this afternoon that teams are expected to begin sending offers to outfielders this week. Olney added that until now, Soto has been meeting with teams and allowing Soto and interested club officials to get to know each other. The Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Phillies are all known to have met with Soto during this time. The Giants, Rays, and Royals are all known to be among the teams that have reached out to Soto as well, although no meetings between Soto and any of those clubs are publicly known to have taken place and the Royals are reportedly already eyeing free agency. agent as outside their comfort zone.
Of course, the aforementioned list of groups is not exhaustive. Undisclosed clubs have contacted and possibly even met with Soto as he prepares to sign what figures to be the largest contract in MLB history in terms of current total value this winter. As an MVP finalist and career .285/.421/.532 entering the market before his age-26 season, Soto is rarely represented as a free agent who can make sense in almost any contention timeline and stand out as a player. progressing to all 30 football clubs, leaving his market largely limited by the willingness of clubs to spend enough money to acquire him rather than equal positionally or competitively.
The general consensus in this game seems to be that the Yankees and Mets are the favorites for Soto’s services, as both teams in New York are full of pockets and appear motivated as the Yankees look to keep their key additions from last season that help the club not miss out. playoffs in 2023 to the AL pennant this past season while the Mets hope to build on a 2024 campaign that saw them reach the NLCS for the first time since 2015. Soto naturally has a spot on the Yankees’ roster as their right fielder, though he might make more sense with the club. Mets may push. Star Marte to DH to accommodate the addition of Soto given the fact that the acquisition of Soto forced the Yankees to use Aaron is the judge as their everyday player at center last year.
That does not mean that other groups should be counted in the mix. The Phillies and Dodgers are both already in need of outfield help this winter and could continue to bolster an already dominant lineup that made them the class of the NL this year by landing Soto. The Blue Jays’ numbers will be particularly motivated after falling short in last winter’s Ohtani sweepstakes and missing the playoffs in 2024, while the Red Sox appear poised to resume spending in line with the size of their market this winter after spending the past several winters on the periphery of free agency. . MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a look at all 30 clubs in the context of the Soto sweepstakes of Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.
While Soto has emphasized the importance of team competition in his decision-making and there have been questions about whether he would choose an East Coast team given his off-season homes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the Dominican Republic, a key factor separating Soto’s suitors is money. As promises are expected to be made within the next week, it is possible that unknown applicants have appeared as those seeking the services of this star or currently reported applicants are lagging behind in bidding. It is also possible that the process starts to move faster once the offers start coming in; Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported earlier this week that the belief surrounding the game is that Soto could sign either before the Winter Meetings, which run from December 9-12 in Dallas next month.
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