With good reason, the “Juan Soto sweepstakes” are dominating baseball. How often will a 26-year-old generational athlete sign a free agent contract before the start of his prime? The Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and New York Yankees have already met with Soto in person for initial talks. He will also shortly meet with the Philadelphia Phillies.

18 MLB team executives and baseball insiders were recently surveyed by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers regarding the impending free agency period. Two inquiries concerning Soto were among them. They were asked if Soto would sign a contract worth more than $600 million and where he would sign.

The poll’s findings were really intriguing. It showed that Soto had 11 votes in favor of signing a contract for more than $600 million and seven votes against it. Additionally, Soto signed 12 contracts with the Yankees, 4 with the Mets, and 2 with the Blue Jays. The reasoning behind these findings was rather straightforward. In bidding wars with their stars, the Steinbrenner family never loses.

“A common belief from our respondents was that the Yankees will match (or come close enough to matching) any number agent Scott Boras brings them to keep Soto in pinstripes,” Rogers stated. “The Yankees don’t let stars walk,” our insiders told us unequivocally. Other teams experience that.

Rogers noted that many respondents believe the Yankees will match, or come close to matching, any offer presented by agent Scott Boras to retain Soto. “The Yankees don’t let stars leave,” insiders stated firmly, adding that such situations are something other teams typically face.

A few weeks ago, I projected that Soto would sign a contract for between $630 million and $675 million with the Yankees. He is not going to get into the $700 million bracket, in my opinion. However, how awesome would it be if he did start his deal with a big, old seven?

Juan Soto, a former Padres great, meets with a formidable NL West rival.

According to reports, the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet with former San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, on Tuesday in Newport Beach. The news was initially reported by MLB.com’s Marc Feinsand. One of the top free agents this offseason, Soto spent 2022–2023 with the Padres. He is now meeting with several teams to see which one he would sign with.

Only Shohei Ohtani, the designated hitter for the Dodgers, has ever signed a contract for as much as $700 million, which Soto is apparently poised to do this offseason. The Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox have also met with him. Boras previously revealed that the Padres were in the midst of contract extensions with the superstar and had initially intended to give him a long-term deal.

When the late owner Peter Seidler became increasingly unwell and eventually passed away in November 2023, the extensions came to a standstill. Boras said Seidler would never have traded Soto.

Following Seidler’s passing, the Padres drastically reduced their budget and transferred Trent Grisham and Soto to the New York Yankees in return for Randy Vásquez, Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, and Kyle Higashioka.

After helping the Yankees win the World Series, Soto had a career-year with them, hitting.288/.419/.569 with 166 hits, 128 runs, 41 home runs, and 166 RBIs. Soto is in his peak at the age of 26, making him a talent who organizations could invest in for the future.

According to several sources, Soto would not likely sign with the Dodgers since he would rather be on the East Coast than the West Coast. The Padres would have to play Soto several times each season if the Dodgers were to sign him, giving them a another advantage in their rivalry with the Padres.

After being moved from the Washington Nationals to San Diego in the middle of the 2022 season, Soto initially joined the Padres. After defeating the Dodgers, Soto helped the Padres progress to the National League Championship Series and the postseason that year. The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Padres in that series.

It was disappointing when Soto returned for the 2023 season because the Padres missed the postseason and Soto apparently didn’t mesh well with the squad. Nevertheless, Soto was expected to continue as a Padre until Seidler’s passing.