With the MLB offseason ramping up, the focus of fans will turn to many of the top free agent talents in the sport. Juan Soto, a four-time all-star, four-time Silver Slugger, and former World Series champion, will make more waves this winter than any other free agent. Soto, coming off of a 2024 campaign where he slashed .288/.419/.569 and led the Yankees to the World Series. Scott Boras, the MLB’s most respected agent, is trying to get Soto close to the ten-year, $700 million deal that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani got last season with the Dodgers, making the magnitude of this free agency that much bigger. Soto is expected to make his decision around the winter meetings.
Many of us at DeMatha are asking ourselves the same question, what are the chances that Soto ends up in Baltimore or Washington? According to ESPN, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo mentioned that he had recently talked to Boras about Soto, but fans have received no details. The Lerner family, the owners of the Nationals, are among the richest ownership groups in baseball, but haven’t shelled out major cash in five offseasons, and have already tried to sign Soto, a former National, to an expensive deal in the past. The Nationals traded the young superstar at the 2022 trade deadline after he turned down a fifteen-year, $440 million extension offer, a move that he won’t regret after his inevitably larger payday, but the Nationals won’t regret with the young talent they received from San Diego in the deal. On the Baltimore side, Orioles owner David Rubenstein and GM Mike Elias will be more focused on re-signing two of their biggest contributors in 2024, with pitcher Corbin Burnes looking to fetch over $200 million, and switch-hitting slugger Anthony Santander going after a similarly high price. DeMatha student Nate Schneier, an Orioles fan, says that Baltimore should be focusing on re-signing “at least one” of the two stars.
The pressure in the Soto sweepstakes will undoubtedly be the New York Yankees, who made it to their first World Series since 2009 this year, with Soto playing a massive role. They acquired the now 26-year-old superstar from San Diego last offseason, and many fans are demanding that they don’t undo an incredible move, one that created an enviable duo of Soto and two-time MVP Aaron Judge. Yankee fans know that owner Hal Steinbrenner has the money for Soto, and can match any offer from other teams, but many believe that he may back out at a certain number. It is believed that Soto will take the highest offer, unlike Judge, who stayed in the Bronx on a nine-year, $360 million deal following his MVP season in 2022, despite the Padres offering an earth-shattering $415 million over twelve years. With a younger player like Soto, more owners will be willing to have a bidding war with Steinbrenner.
The cross-town rival New York Mets, coming off of an improbable NLCS appearance, are seen as the biggest threat to take Soto from the Yankees. Steve Cohen, the richest owner in baseball, will have the most money to spend, especially with the dead contracts of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander coming off of the books. The Mets do have other priorities, with slugger Pete Alonso and lefty Sean Manaea hitting the open market, but the Soto rumors have surrounded them for multiple years. At the very least, the Mets will be in the mix until the end. With Soto’s top priority likely to be money, the Mets are currently the favorite to land the superstar in many people’s eyes.
Of course, rivals of both New York teams are also rumored to have legitimate interest in Soto. The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, both division rivals of the Yankees, reportedly met with Soto and Boras and had “impressive” presentations. Soto grew up a Red Sox fan and has met with not only Boston’s ownership and front office, but met with David Ortiz, one of his childhood idols. DeMatha student and big Red Sox fan, Andrew Speed, thinks that Big Papi’s meeting with Soto could be a “major help” for Boston’s chances. The Red Sox have extra incentive to sign Soto because it would be a huge steal of their biggest rival’s star, and would prove that they are once again committed to winning, which their fanbase has questioned for years. Boston is seen as the third strongest candidate for Soto besides the New York teams. Toronto is seen as a very possible landing spot, after they showed their willingness to spend last offseason, when they were in on Ohtani until the end. At the very least, rivals of the Yankees being interested will drive Soto’s price up, and Scott Boras is known to use less likely suitors to his advantage.
One of the major questions surrounding Soto’s free agency is whether he’s interested in playing on the west coast. He admitted to not feeling comfortable during his time in San Diego, but the money that the Dodgers have still makes them serious players for Soto’s services. The Dodgers have consistently shown willingness to spend major money to win, splurging on Ohtani and international free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter, and have a lineup that any player would love to be a part of. LA has already had a strong start to the offseason with the signing of two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, taking the lefty from the rival San Francisco Giants. Soto was on the other side of the Dodgers’ dominant performance in the World Series, where they won their second championship in five years, which will certainly not make them a less appealing destination for free agents. Many fans do see a team spending on record-breaking contracts in back-to-back offseasons as unlikely. The chances that we see Soto out west in 2025 are small, but not zero.
No matter what happens, fans will soon realize how monumental Soto’s free agency is. In the final days, reports have suggested that at least the Mets and Yankees are in the $710-$730 million range, and fans should gear up for major news.
Edit: Juan Soto ultimately signed a 15-year deal with the New York Mets on December 8 worth $765 million with an opt out in 2029 if the Mets don’t increase his salary by $5 million per year over the final 10 years of the deal.
