The New York Yankees will face competition from a few of their rivals for Juan Soto. The Yankees’ best option is to offer Soto the most money and hope he returns, as they saw first-hand why they need him.
However, that’s easier said than done.
The New York Mets are expected to be among the teams interested in the Dominican Republic native in free agency. Mets owner Steve Cohen has proven during his short time as the owner that he’s willing to spend as much as needed to land players he wants.
Experts around Major League Baseball expect them to be heavily in the mix for Soto. That includes Will Laws of Sports Illustrated, who predicted Soto would sign with the Mets this winter.
“Soto was overshadowed by Aaron Judge in the Bronx this year, but he’s expected to far surpass Judge’s nine-year, $360 million deal for the second-largest contract in baseball after hitting a career-best 41 home runs while setting a new personal best of 8.1 WAR for the Yankees,” Laws wrote on November 5.
“The only question is which team will pay up for him, with the two New York teams considered co-favorites.”
Soto’s Latest Contract Prediction
Multiple contract predictions have been made, but only the New York Yankees and other teams ultimately know what Soto is looking for.
Predictions are difficult, especially when they’re in the range Soto could be looking for. The Yankees should expect to spend at least $500 million from most predictions. In others, the Yankees could be looking at $700 million.
In the latest one from MLB Trade Rumors staff, Soto landed a $600 million deal for 13 years.
“Soto isn’t just one of the best hitters on the planet, he’s one of the youngest and thus most appealing free agents in recent history. Given how long he’s been in league and how dominant he’s been since day one, it’s easy to forget that Soto played the entire 2024 regular season at just 25 years of age,” MLB Trade Rumors wrote on November 4. “Teammate Aaron Judge didn’t even play a full big league season until he was 25…
“Soto and agent Scott Boras already rejected a reported 15-year, $440MM extension offer from the Nationals in 2021, before he was traded to the Padres. Soto has since pocketed $54MM in arbitration and now seems a lock to top the $386MM remainder; his historic bet on himself has paid off, and Boras will now surely be taking aim at both a precedent-setting average annual value and guarantee.”
Soto’s Decision Could Come Down to Yankees or Mets
Over the past few months, the New York Yankees and New York Mets have been the two teams linked to Soto the most.
It makes plenty of sense, too, as the Yankees have a rich history of spending money, and he was already on the team. The reason for the Mets is also clear, primarily due to Cohen’s ability to spend with any team in the league.
If Soto wants to play for the highest bidder, the Mets could be his option. If the Yankees were to get outbid by the Mets, fans would rightfully be furious.
However, that’s a real possibility because of Cohen.
Soto, the biggest MLB free agency case, will have a tough decision to make.
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Yankees Predicted to Lose Juan Soto to Biggest Rival