Juan Soto free agency: Here are the teams reportedly meeting with the star slugger this week
Juan Soto is the biggest name of the 2024-25 MLB offseason and his dance card is filling up accordingly. Each of the league's biggest spenders are reportedly in pursuit of a free-agent slugger who just finished up another All-Star season in his single year with the New York Yankees.
Soto is expected to challenge for a contract worth somewhere between the stated value of Shohei Ohtani's record-breaking deal ($700 million) and the actual value of the contract when adjusting for inflation and deferrals (somewhere around $440 million). It's going to be a titanic piece of paper, the only question is which team's name will be on there.
As such, people are very interested in Soto's schedule for this week. Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, four teams have meetings with Soto and mega-agent Scott Boras, though that probably doesn't mean the other 26 teams are out of the running.
Let's take a look at each of those four teams, what they bring to the table for Soto and how seriously we're taking them as candidates for his services.
Toronto Blue Jays
Serious meter: 3/5
Let's rewind to about a year ago, when the Blue Jays appeared to be on the verge of landing Ohtani. Countless MLB fans were following a flight tracker supposedly containing the Japanese superstar as if it was the lunar module, and the whole thing ended being a mildly embarrassing lesson in scrutinizing reports in a high-stakes media environment.
Still, it was never disputed the Jays were willing to meet Ohtani's price. He just liked what the Dodgers brought to the table more. And now, Toronto gets a shot at another superstar.
It's easy to forget the Blue Jays are a large-market team, but they are. They have money, and plenty of reason to spend big right now. The team took a step back this year after four straight competitive seasons and will be trying to win again in 2025, which is shaping up to be a make-or-break year.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a free agent after next season, and the best way to make this year count would be to add another elite bat. Soto is also a good friend of Guerrero, whom the Jays will want to keep as happy as possible.
New York Mets
Serious meter: 5/5
There is a good chance the bidding war for Soto will come down to who's more willing to drop stupid money. The Mets would have the advantage there.
Mets owner Steve Cohen, the richest owner in baseball, has made very clear he is willing to ignore all rational business sense if it turns his childhood team into a World Series winner. Because of that, the Mets have been loudly whispered as a potential Soto destination for years.
The Mets are still in the process of building a National League power and adding the best young hitter in baseball, while taking him away from their crosstown rival in the process, would go a long way. The fit here is so clear it's almost boring, at least until we see the final price tag.
New York Yankees
Serious meter 5/5
You can probably bet the Yankees aren't going to make it easy for Soto to leave. Allowing Soto to walk would do remarkable damage to the team's credibility going forward.
Last year's trade for Soto went about as well as the Yankees could have hoped. He enjoyed another elite season at the plate, hitting .288/.419/.569 and ranking third in MLB in OPS+, and appeared to have fun doing it. He was a vital part of New York's first run to the World Series since 2009.
Replacing Soto, even in the aggregate, would be remarkably difficult. To miss out on him would mean the Yankees would have to pursue multiple other premium free agents, such as Pete Alonso and Teoscar Hernández, to avoid a significant lineup drop-off.
When baseball's premier franchise has the most to lose in a free-agent bidding war, it's hard not to expect them to come through. We saw this play out two years ago and the result was Aaron Judge's nine-year, $360 million deal. This one will undoubtedly be more expensive.
Boston Red Sox
Serious meter: 3/5
This is a pretty interesting fit for a team that hasn't made the playoffs in three seasons.
The Red Sox still have plenty of talent, most notably 2024 breakout star Jarren Duran and franchise stalwart Rafael Devers. They have an enviable collection of minor league talent coming their way with four top 25 MLB Pipeline prospects. They have no shortage of financial resources as one of MLB's most popular teams.
And, like the Mets, they could massively undermine the Yankees just by signing one guy. Signing Soto will likely require selling him on the team's next competitive era being just around the corner, but that argument seems simple.
It's also maybe worth noting that, by park factor, Fenway Park is the equivalent of Coors Field for left-handed hitters like Soto.
So those are the four teams with Soto meetings reported. Let's also take a brief look at the three other teams listed by the New York Post's Jon Heyman as contenders for Soto, with a note that they could still schedule a meeting with him.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Serious meter: 3.5/5
You want to know the terrifying thing about the Dodgers? They can afford Soto.
It wouldn't require much stretching. They are currently enjoying the financial fruits of winning a World Series, after a year of unprecedented sponsorship money from Japanese companies looking to tie themselves to Ohtani. Ohtani's contract might already be the biggest bargain in baseball given his deferrals, and that means the Dodgers can again hunt some big game if they want to.
Even though they feel like a burgeoning titan, the Dodgers didn't have the biggest payroll in MLB last season. They were third, behind the Mets and Yankees. This would be a very fun way to become first.
Still, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman once said, "If you're always rational about every free agent, you will finish third on every free agent." The Dodgers might be fine with being the rational one here, especially if it means jacking up the price for the Mets and Yankees.
San Francisco Giants
Serious meter: 2/5
Just like the Blue Jays with Ohtani, it's helpful to remember the Giants were very much there for Judge two years ago. This is a team that recently got handed full control of the very lucrative Bay Area, with a new leadership fronted by Buster Posey.
The Giants are still lacking a superstar to build their team around, and Soto would definitely fit the bill.
Tampa Bay Rays
Serious meter: 1/5
Even Heyman seemed surprised when one of MLB's poorest teams was mentioned as a Soto suitor, but let's take a serious look at the Rays. Yes, the Rays are notoriously unwilling to spend, but they reportedly offered 2024 World Series MVP Freddie Freeman more money than anyone. They're also regularly competitive and just got out of the $182 million Wander Franco contract.
Then again, come on. They might have been willing to pay Freeman around $25 million per year, but Soto could get twice that per year. This is also a team about to play an entire season in a minor-league stadium after Hurricane Milton shredded Tropicana Field, which is going to be no easy sell for Soto and no help to the team's finances.
