Juan Soto predicted he would sign a $630 million contract with the Blue Jays

Maybe Juan Soto going to the Toronto Blue Jays isn’t such a great prospect after all.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today predicts Toronto will offer his services – and at a hefty price tag. While the New York Yankees and New York Mets are generally seen as the favorites to land Soto, the Blue Jays are a viable candidate and plan to meet with Soto as the superstar hears from potential suitors.

If Nightengale is right, Soto would head north on a 14-year deal worth $630 million. As he mentions, that’s less than they wanted to offer Shohei Ohtani last year, before the two-way phenom settled on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“The Blue Jays are still left with $700 million in their pockets, and after the Yankees refuse to budge from their original offer, the Blue Jays swoop in and get their man for $630 million over 14 years,” wrote Nightengale in USA Today newspaper. staff MLB free agent picks.

For what it’s worth, the other four writers all picked Soto to stay with the Yankees.

By any reasonable measure, Soto’s 2024 season with the Bombers was a resounding success. The American League MVP finalist enjoyed career highs in home runs (41) and runs scored (128), while hitting .288 with a 178 OPS+. Without his teammate, Aaron Judge, Soto would be the favorite for MVP. He also helped the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009, and if he returns to the Bronx, they would certainly be among the favorites to return in 2025.

The Blue Jays could be an offensive powerhouse with Juan Soto

As it stands now, the Yankees should enter the 2025 season as the favorites to win the American League East. A Soto signing north of the border could change that.

If the Blue Jays are serious about competing for their first World Series since 1993, this might be their best chance. The 26-year-old Soto would join a Toronto team that has just one year of team control left over Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Even with Bichette’s lackluster 2024, both Blue Jays should command hefty salaries in 2026 and there’s no guarantee the club will be able to retain both. Signing Soto to a deal that will effectively define the rest of his career could help or at least provide some insurance.

It could also help the Blue Jays address the $48 million elephant in the room. Right fielder George Springer is under contract for two more years at $24 million each, and it appears his best days are far behind him. In 141 games in 2024, the four-time All-Star hit .220 with a .674 OPS. It was the third year in a row that Springer’s OPS fell from the year before. Soto would immediately present a right field upgrade.

Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. He is a baseball and basketball enthusiast and has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as the PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.