Teams are expected to make offers to Juan Soto this week

The sweepstakes to land a superstar as a free agent Juan Soto is about to enter the next phase after ESPN’s Buster Olney reported this afternoon that teams are expected to start sending offers to the outfielder’s camp this week. Olney added that Soto has met with teams at this point in the process and given Soto and officials from interested clubs the opportunity to get to know each other. The Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Dodgers and Phillies are all known to have met with Soto at this point. The Giants, Rays and Royals are also known to be among the teams that have reached out to Soto, although no meetings between Soto and any of these clubs are publicly known and the Royals are reportedly already eyeing the top of the offseason. agent as outside their comfort zone.

Of course, the aforementioned list of teams is by no means exhaustive. So far, unreported clubs have certainly reached out and perhaps even met with Soto as he prepares to sign the largest contract in MLB history in terms of net present value this winter. A two-time MVP finalist and career .285/.421/.532 hitter hitting the market before his age-26 season, Soto is the rare free agent who would make sense on virtually any timeline and as an upgrade to all 30 ball clubs, making his market more limited by teams’ willingness to spend enough to sign him rather than by positional or competitive fitness.

The general consensus surrounding the matchup seems to be that the Yankees and Mets are the favorites for Soto’s services, as both deep-pocketed New York teams appear motivated as the Yankees look to retain their key acquisition from last offseason, who helped the club save from defeat. the playoffs in 2023 to an AL pennant this past season, while the Mets hope to build on a 2024 campaign that saw them reach the NLCS for the first time since 2015. naturally has a place in the Yankees’ lineup as their incumbent right fielder, though he might make even more sense for a Mets club that can push Starling Marte to DH to accommodate the addition of Soto, given that Soto’s acquisition forced the Yankees to utilize Aaron Judge as their everyday midfielder last year.

However, that doesn’t mean the other teams should be counted in the mix. The Phillies and Dodgers are both already in need of outfield help this winter and could further strengthen the already stellar lineups that made them the class of the NL this year by landing Soto. The Blue Jays appear especially motivated after falling just short in last winter’s Ohtani Sweepstakes and then missing the playoffs in 2024, while the Red Sox appear poised to resume their spending this winter commensurate with their market size after they had spent the past winters on the market. periphery of free agency. MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a look at all 30 clubs in the context of the Soto sweepstakes from Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.

Although Soto has emphasized the importance of team competitiveness in his decision-making and questions have been raised about whether he might prefer an East Coast team given his offseason homes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the Dominican Republic, the ultimate factor that Soto’s individual suitors are money. With bids expected to be made over the course of the next week, it is possible that previously unknown suitors may emerge as contenders for the star’s services or that currently reported suitors may fall behind in the bidding process. It’s also possible that the process will start moving quickly once the offers come in; Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported earlier this week that the belief surrounding the game is that Soto could sign during or even before the Winter Meetings, which take place in Dallas next month from December 9-12.