The “Juan Soto sweepstakes” are dominating baseball, and for good reason. It’s rare to see a 26-year-old generational talent hitting free agency before even entering his prime. Soto has already met with the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and New York Yankees, with a meeting with the Philadelphia Phillies on the horizon.
According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, who surveyed 18 MLB executives and insiders about Soto’s free agency, opinions on his next move were fascinating. Respondents were asked where Soto might sign and whether he would secure a deal exceeding $600 million. The poll results revealed 11 votes for a contract over $600 million and seven against. On team preferences, 12 predicted Soto would join the Yankees, four suggested the Mets, and two pointed to the Blue Jays.
The reasoning was straightforward: the Yankees, led by the Steinbrenner family, rarely lose bidding wars for marquee players. Rogers noted, “The consensus among our insiders was that the Yankees would match—or come close to matching—any number Scott Boras presents to keep Soto in pinstripes. Letting stars walk is something that happens to other teams, not the Yankees.”
My own prediction, made weeks ago, aligns with this outlook. I expect Soto to land with the Yankees on a deal worth between $630 million and $675 million, though I doubt it will reach the $700 million mark. That said, wouldn’t it be incredible to see his contract start with a bold, big ‘seven’?
Leave a Reply