Superstar outfielder Juan Soto will receive a long-term deal north of $600 million this offseason. The only question is, who will the four-time All-Star sign it with?
While the New York Yankees and New York Mets are considered the favorites to land Soto, two other AL East teams have entered the fray, via ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
“After trying to land Shohei Ohtani last winter, the [Toronto] Blue Jays are serious about adding a star alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and have targeted Soto,” Passan said. “Another team with Soto at the top of its want list: the Boston Red Sox. They also have a meeting on the books with Soto this week, and like the Blue Jays, their aggressiveness extends into the starting pitching market as well.”
While the Yankees have an advantage due to Soto’s marvelous season with them in 2024, they can’t expect him to give them a friendly discount.
“The two favorites in the Soto derby, the New York Mets and New York Yankees, also have meetings scheduled, according to sources. (Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed theirs),” Passan continued. “The Mets’ pursuit has gotten a hand from shortstop Francisco Lindor, who would love another star in Queens and has taken a role in recruiting Soto, while the Yankees can point to Soto’s excellence in the Bronx this season as a precursor for more.”
Which teams would give Soto the best chance to win for the next decade-plus?
1. Yankees
New York is far from a flawless team, as it showed in its fifth-inning meltdown during Game 5 of the World Series. However, the team did finish three wins away from a championship, and Soto enjoyed a career year hitting in front of Aaron Judge, slashing .288/.419/.569 with 41 homers, and 109 RBI. He also walked 129 times, second only to Judge, who had 133.
The Yankees will have a new-look lineup in 2025, as top prospect Jasson Dominguez is likely to start full-time in place of Alex Verdugo. First base is a question mark after Anthony Rizzo’s release, and Gleyber Torres may get replaced at second base as well. Offensive depth is a major sticking point at the moment.
However, 2024 proved that New York can go far with Soto and Judge as the only consistent bats, with Giancarlo Stanton also still a power-hitting menace when healthy. At 32, Judge still has plenty of productive years left, although he needs to prove that he can shine when the lights get bright in October.
The main question is if the Yankees are willing to pay Soto the record-setting deal that he wants. A source in the MLB believes that the former World Series champion wants an average annual salary higher than Judge’s, via The New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
“One interested GM said he believes Soto will seek a record 15-year deal, presumably for more than the position-player record $40M salary of Judge (and perhaps the $43.3M Max Scherzer/Justin Verlander overall record, too) and suggested at least a record-tying 13 years will be offered,” Heyman said.
2. Mets
While running it back with Judge would be exciting, joining star shortstop Francisco Lindor on the cross-town-rival Mets wouldn’t be too shabby, either. After all, the Mets performed better against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason without Soto than the Yankees did with him, winning two games against them in the NLCS. The Queens-based ballclub would be even more lethal if it could somehow retain power-hitting first baseman Pete Alonso in addition to snagging Soto.
If anybody could afford it, it would be Mets owner Steve Cohen, whose approximate $21 billion net worth makes him the wealthiest owner in sports. However, the luxury tax is an obstacle, especially since Soto doesn’t want to defer his deal like the Dodgers did with Shohei Ohtani. While Ohtani’s contract is worth $700 million, he won’t see most of it anytime soon. Soto wants his cash now.
Therefore, New York would most likely have to sacrifice Alonso in pursuit of Soto, but that would be a worthy exchange.
3. Blue Jays
Toronto had a rough season in 2024, but pairing Soto with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would vault it right back into contention. The Blue Jays also have deep pockets, but Canada is far from Soto’s native country of the Dominican Republic, and Toronto’s high taxes are another obstacle.
Guerrero, though, is just 25 years old, so he and Soto would terrorize lineups together for at least 10 years if they joined forces. It won’t be hard to attract more talent with that type of foundation.
4. Red Sox
The Red Sox also struggled in 2024, but 28-year-old star Rafael Devers would be another attractive player to team up with, in addition to reliable talents like Jarren Duran and Tyler O’Neill. If Boston offers significantly more than the other suitors, Soto could easily end up doing the unthinkable in Yankee fans’ minds.
5. Dodgers
On paper, Los Angeles is the best fit for Soto in the MLB. Not only did it just embarrass the Yankees in the World Series, but its star core of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be intact for the foreseeable future. However, the West Coast titans can’t afford to offer him the non-deferred deal he wants, so he’d have to make the biggest financial sacrifice to join them.
