Many of the big-market clubs in baseball are competing for pending superstar free agent Juan Soto. Jon Heyman of The New York Post identifies the SF Giants as potential outsiders vying for the four-time All-Star outfielder.
Heyman believes that a reunion with the New York Yankees is the most probable outcome, while the New York Mets are seen as a significant threat that could lure Soto away. Ultimately, it seems the bidding will primarily be between those two teams for the left-handed bat. Heyman also names the Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers as other teams that might get involved.
The Giants previously attempted to trade for Soto with the San Diego Padres last winter, but those discussions didn’t progress since San Diego was unlikely to trade such a player within the division.
With Buster Posey now in charge, the Giants are poised for an intriguing offseason. Posey is expected to be more aggressive than Farhan Zaidi in free agency. While Zaidi had previously made bold moves, they didn’t always yield favorable results. One of Posey’s initial challenges will likely be convincing Soto to return to the West Coast, though this seems like a tough task.
Soto is expected to seek one of the largest contracts in baseball history, coming off a season where he hit .280/.419/.569 (180 wRC+) with 41 home runs, 109 RBI, and 128 runs in 713 plate appearances during his age-25 season, alongside a 16.7% walk rate and 22.2% strikeout rate.
The power-hitting outfielder’s next contract will extend well into the 2030s. While a move to San Francisco seems unlikely, his agent, Scott Boas, will likely leverage all interest to instigate a bidding war, which is a common tactic to negotiate publicly through media rumors.
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