Juan Soto is set to make his MLB free agency decision in the next few days with the superstar outfielder looking likely to sign for the biggest deal in league history.
The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays are all still in the mix for the 26-year-old, with the winning bid for acquiring him expected to reach upwards of $730 million. However, it is believed that the Yankees and Mets are the frontrunners with the biggest offers so far.
Soto is said to be asking for a 15-year deal, that he’ll remain on throughout the rest of his career where he could stick with the franchise until he retires – asking for more than what Shohei Ohtani received when he signed a $700 million deal with the Dodgers last year, before going on to win the World Series.
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The Dominican is coming off-the-back of another incredible year, after the Yankees traded multiple players to acquire him from the San Diego Padres, going on to register 41 home runs with an impressive .418 on-base percentage. Soto had also led the league in 128 runs scored.
It has been reported, by multiple outlets, that Soto will make his decision by the end of the Winter Meetings, which begin in Dallas on Sunday run through December 12 (Thursday).
It is also believed that a few of the teams who had been in for Soto have already been priced out, with the superstar expected to be signing for around $600 million – now looking to be well over that with teams in bidding wars to pen him to a long-term contract.
Juan Soto could be choosing between the Yankees and the Mets (
Getty Images)
Soto has met with all five teams mentioned as the strongest suitors while making their pitch to him, with bidding wars seemingly continuing everyday as the Dominican weighs up his options.
His agent, Scott Boras, had told reporters: “We’ve had meetings with a number of franchises. He’s begun the process of eliminating teams and doing things. Juan is a very methodical thinker, so we’ll see, but I don’t think anything is imminent in the near future.”
In recent days, the Mets have been seen as the favorites to land Soto, which would be the franchises biggest move of all-time, looking like legitimate contenders for the World Series after an incredible 2024 season – and being the city rivals for the New York Yankees which has so often been dominated by the latter.
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