he New York Yankees‘ biggest competitor for Juan Soto looks to be the New York Mets. The Mets have been willing to spend money with the best of them in recent years, and the expectation around Major League Baseball is for the Mets to be heavily interested in Soto.
While the Yankees might have the upper hand because Soto already played with them, others are looming large and could offer him a massive deal. Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes that’ll be the case with the Toronto Blue Jays, predicting that Soto would land him with them on a 14-year, $630 million deal.
“The Blue Jays still have $700 million burning a hole in their wallet, and after Yankees refuse to budge from their original offer, the Blue Jays swoop in and get their man for $630 million over 14 years,” Nightengale wrote on November 9.
Yankees’ Owner Plans to Meet With Scott Boras
The Toronto Blue Jays have been an interesting name to watch for big stars on the market in recent years. While they haven’t signed any of the top players in baseball in that span, perhaps they can get a deal done with Soto.
However, the feeling around MLB is that Soto will pick between the New York Yankees and New York Mets, as a bidding war between the two New York teams is very much in play.
According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Yankees, despite Soto playing with the team last season, plan to meet with Boras and his client in the future.
“Steinbrenner is scheduled to visit Southern California, where Boras’ headquarters are located, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. The New York Post was first to report Steinbrenner’s upcoming visit.
“Which day Steinbrenner will fly to the West Coast is unknown, but it will take place after the Mets’ visit,” Kirschner wrote on November 8. “Earlier this week, Boras explained that Soto wants to meet with team owners face-to-face to gauge their views on his value in the marketplace and hear their plans for building a consistent winner around him.”
The Yankees could benefit from Soto meeting the Mets before them. While some might view that as an issue, the Yankees would get a clear understanding of what Steve Cohen and the Mets plan to offer him.
“While it’s unclear whether Steinbrenner deliberately timed his visit to follow Cohen’s, the timing certainly works to the Yankees’ advantage,” Kirschner wrote. “Steinbrenner’s trip will provide him an opportunity to get a sense of Cohen’s intentions, which could be crucial in Soto’s decision-making process.”
Blue Jays Viewed as ‘Dark-Horse Candidate’
If Soto wanted to play with the team that offered him the most money, any team in baseball could realistically have a chance of landing him. There might only be a handful of teams willing to spend that much, but whichever teams are should be viewed as legitimate threats.
That’s why the Toronto Blue Jays poaching him from the New York Yankees wouldn’t come as a surprise.
Nightengale added in a different report that they’re the “dark-horse candidate” to watch around baseball.
“While there’s not a team in baseball who wouldn’t desire Soto, baseball executives believe the finalists for his services will be the Yankees, Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants. The Blue Jays appear to be the popular dark-horse candidate,” Nightengale wrote on November 9.
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