With the annual December Winter Meetings almost upon us, there is an expectation that the Juan Soto free-agent sweepstakes is just about to heat up. Soto is the undisputed best free agent on the market, and it will be very difficult for the New York Yankees to keep him despite all the success they had with the 26-year-old right fielder on the roster this past season.
Almost every big-market team is expected to throw their hat in the ring that is the Soto free-agent pursuit. However, there are reportedly only three teams besides the Yankees that must be considered as “serious” contenders for Soto’s services.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, “there really are only four teams that are seriously in play for Soto: The [New York] Mets, the Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox.” Those four teams have already met with Soto and his camp, and thus, it makes sense that those are the most likely teams for the 26-year-old to commit his long-term future to.
There were rumors that the new World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers would somehow beat other teams to the punch for Soto’s services, but Nightengale clarified that the Dodgers simply met with Soto due to convenience and perhaps to “drive up the price”.
Among those four, Nightengale reported that the Mets are the “clear-cut favorite” to get Soto to sign on the dotted line, with owner Steve Cohen’s unlimited resources playing a huge part in tipping the scales in their favor. Meanwhile, the Yankees reportedly “have a price in mind that they don’t want to exceed”. Only time will tell, however, if Soto will be exchanging the Bronx for Queens in this year’s free agency.
Juan Soto holds the keys to this year’s free agency
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With Juan Soto expected to command a huge deal that only Shohei Ohtani’s could rival, many expect that the dominoes will face in free agency once he makes his decision. The Yankees, in particular, will have to go back to the drawing board if Soto decides to take his talents elsewhere.
For the Mets, Soto would represent a major upgrade in right field over Starling Marte, and Soto would give them another superstar in the middle of the order alongside Francisco Lindor. After they won 89 games last season, Soto should help elevate them — perhaps with him being the missing piece that would take them over the World Series hump.