Currently, the biggest free agent on the market is 25 year old outfielder Juan Soto. Throughout his 2024 season with the New York Yankees, he batted .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBI. Soto’s amazing season has guaranteed him a Top 3 MVP placement in the American League and a huge pay raise going into this off-season.
Soto expects a “Shohei Ohtani Contract”. Ohtani signed for 700 million dollars over 10 years this past off-season, however he is an excellent pitcher, hitter, and base runner. Soto can only hit and sometimes field.
It is likely that a team will also give Soto that contract, or at least somewhere close to that margin; it’s just a matter of which team will. Both New York teams have been confirmed to be the top two teams bidding for Soto. They both want to give Soto a contract around the 600-700 million dollar range. As of recently, the Dodgers have also risen as bidders in the Juan Soto sweepstakes.
The Yankees are looking to bring back the superstar after the “monster season” he had in 2024. The Mets are looking for a big bat after coming extremely close to making the World Series this season. The Dodgers don’t necessarily need Soto, but if they add him to their team, the Dodgers might have the chance to run the MLB for a long time.
Soto has proven that he is not a loyal player, given that he has been on 3 teams by the young age of 25. Soto is meeting with numerous teams this week.
Whoever ends up getting Soto will gain a player with a high ceiling and amazing hitting skills. These sweepstakes are expected to last several months, so only time will tell who will land the impeccable baseball player.
