MLB free agency began in full earnest on Monday, which saw Juan Soto officially reach the open market after an MVP-caliber 2024 season with the New York Yankees.
The 26-year-old is expected to land one of the largest contracts ever for a position player this offseason, with the Yankees making it clear they would like to re-sign him.
However, they will have plenty of competition from their crosstown rival New York Mets, who are looking to make a splash in free agency.
In addition to the New York teams, Soto is expected to receive interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals, via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
The Yankees and Mets are expected to engage in a bidding war for the superstar slugger, and while other teams such as the Phillies, Dodgers, Giants and Nationals may dip their respective toes in the pool, the wide-ranging belief within the industry is that Soto will wind up in New York when all is said and done.
The expectation remains that Soto will wind up with the Yankees or Mets due to his familiarity in New York and the teams’ deep pockets:
“It’s the Yankees or the Mets,” one American League executive said when asked to handicap the Soto sweepstakes. “He knows the Yankees well after spending a year there, and Steve Cohen has enough money to give him whatever he wants if he decides he wants him badly enough. It’s tough for me to see Soto winding up anywhere else.”
There is a belief that Soto may prefer signing with an East Coast team, which would rule out the likes of the Dodgers and Giants.
However, Soto was also believed to be making progress on a contract extension with the San Diego Padres before his trade to the Yankees, which indicates he would at least consider playing for another West Coast team.
The Dodgers don’t necessarily have a need for Soto, but they will jump at the opportunity to add a generational talent whenever they can.
If Soto signs elsewhere, L.A. will likely try to bring back Teoscar Hernández. The Dodgers extended the one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer to Hernández for the 2025 season. Even if it is declined, which is expected, they could attempt to work out a different deal.
Juan Soto wants to play with Shohei Ohtani
The Dodgers’ interest in Soto is worth noting as the four-time All-Star previously expressed a desire to team up with Shohei Ohtani.
“Ohtani would’ve been one of the best. Now he went to the NL, I went to the AL, so it’s been a little tricky, but definitely Ohtani would be one of them,” Soto said from All-Star Media Day when asked to name a player he would love to be teammates with.
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