Ever since he broke onto the scene in 2018, one thing has been clear: Juan Soto is one of the best outfielders in the league, and will be for a long time. Although he’s only 25 years old, Soto has already been on three teams, the Nationals, the Padres, and currently the Yankees. Soto signed with the Nats in 2015 as an international free agent. He spent 2 years in the Nationals farm system before making his MLB Debut on May 20th, 2018. He would go on to collect his first hit later that day, a 422 foot homer off Dodgers Pitcher Robbie Erlin. Soto finished his rookie season with a slash line of .292/.406/517. He would come second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Braves slugger Ronald Acuna Jr. The young outfielder would go on to win the World Series with the Nationals just a year later, with a postseason slash line of .250/.250/.250 and a .500 OPS. Juan would spend another two and a half years with the Nationals. He was the batting champ in the shortened 2020 season despite taking time off after a COVID-19 diagnosis, and was the runner up for NL MVP, Silver Slugger, and made his first all-star appearance in 2021.
In 2022, Soto was dealt to the San Diego Padres. Even though they had just won the World Series less than 3 years prior, the Nationals were not just struggling-they were struggling badly. 33 games under .500, just before a home game against the New York Mets, the club announced that they would be sending Soto to San Diego in exchange for a handful of prospects, most notably CJ Abrams and James Wood, two who are now everyday players with the Nats. Overall, the trade benefited both parties. The Padres went to the NLCS but lost, and ended up sending Soto to the New York Yankees a year later after a wildly disappointing 2023 campaign. Since then, Soto has been in the limelight. This season, he batted .288 with a career high 41 Homers (thanks to the Yankee Stadium Short Porch). However, Soto is in his 6th year of MLB service- which means he is now eligible for free agency entering the 2024-2025 offseason. There are two teams that are obvious front runners, but some other teams could be in the mix of contenders in the Soto Sweepstakes. It ultimately comes down to one thing-who is willing to pay the hefty price tag.
Since Steve Cohen took over in 2020, the Mets have had a top three payroll in baseball. Handing out massive contracts to players like Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander, Steve Cohen is no stranger to spending big. When it comes to money, it’s obvious the Mets have the most of it, which means Cohen is ready to counter big time offers from other teams. After a disappointing 2023 season, Cohen reshaped the front office and hired David Stearns as Head of Baseball operations. They spent a minimal amount of money on players and instead shopped in the clearance aisle, signing guys like Harrison Bader, Luis Severino, and Sean Manaea, who have all performed WAY above expectations. With massive amounts of payroll coming off the books this offseason, a huge contract from Queens could be coming Juan Soto’s way.
Soto on the Yankees has been a match made in Heaven. The lethal Juan Soto/Aaron Judge one two punch has terrorized the American League all year. With the Yankees going all in on this season back in March, they were willing to send Michael King, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez, starting pitching prospect Drew Thorpe and catcher Kyle Higashioka all to the Padres. I believe it’s in the Yankee’s best interest to sign Soto. If you take him out of the Yankees lineup, it’s an average team. Put him in and there is a 90 win team, and that case has been proven this year. Last year’s Yankees without Judge and Soto missed the postseason and only managed to finish 2 games above .500. Keeping this duo in the Bronx will lead the Yankees to years of success no matter how they reshape the roster around them. Hal Steinbrenner announced earlier this year that the Yankees would be cutting some payroll-which only means that they are preparing to drop a large sum of money with the hopes to retain Soto and keep him in pinstripes.
While these two teams are the top 2 contenders for Soto, other teams will definitely be in the mix. Recent rumors have circulated that Yankee’s division rival The Toronto Blue jays (per si.com) will be in the mix, preparing to offer Soto a massive deal. The Jays had a miserable 24’ season despite making the postseason two consecutive years before. They were a top contender in the Ohtani sweepstakes last year, but ended up losing him to LA. The general public believed Shohei was on a plane Toronto-bound, but the rumors were false and Shohei proved it by signing with LA the next day. With all that money saved up, it would be no surprise they offer soto a large deal. Another contender could be the San Francisco Giants. With a good sized payroll, they definitely have the money to get it done. The team has talent in it-but nothing to show for it. Finishing 4th in a STACKED NL West division just 2 games under, San Francisco needs to stack up if they plan on contending in one of the best divisions in baseball currently. With talented pitchers like Blake Snell and Logan Webb, and hitters like Matt Chapman, Heliot Ramos and the early-injured but undoubtedly good Jung Ho Lee, adding Soto would be a huge boost.
If I wanted to list every team I think would offer Soto a contract and why-this article would be 20 pages long. Almost every team is going to make their bid for the young superstar-but the two New York teams will most likely be the frontrunners. Other teams with large payrolls like Philly, Atlanta, Houston, and Chicago (NL) will most likely be in the mix, but I believe that Soto would most definitely impact Toronto and San Francisco the most. With the MLB offseason being loaded with speculation and predictions, there is one thing we know for sure-Juan Soto will be getting a record breaking contract.
