Juan Soto received five contract offers before Thanksgiving, as his free-agency sweepstakes are on the cusp of shifting into overdrive before Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings begin on Dec. 8 in Texas.
As first reported by NJ.com’s Randy Miller, the Mets and Yankees have submitted contract offers for Soto along with the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays.
The Mets and Yankees are believed to be the two favorites for Soto’s signature, with the Queens club seen as the “clear-cut favorite” to steal the 26-year-old superstar away from the Bronx Bombers, where he hit 41 home runs in 2024 after being acquired from the San Diego Padres.
Specific numbers on these offers are unknown, but general logic will suggest that the Mets came in either near or at the very top of the list. Owner Steve Cohen is capable of outbidding any of the other four suitors, given his massive net worth ($16 billion).
The Mets have long been linked with Soto, practically ever since Cohen bought the team and it became clear that the left-handed bat would not spend his entire career with the Washington Nationals.
The Yankees will hope his one year in the Bronx will coax him to stay on their side of the Big Apple. They won their first American League pennant since 2009 before falling to the Dodgers in five games at the Fall Classic.
The Dodgers have thrown their hats in the ring, which was not necessarily hard to do. They are often linked with every marquee free agent and came away with last winter’s biggest prize in Shohei Ohtani. It was also convenient that Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, held meetings with teams in Los Angeles.
Up north in Toronto, the Blue Jays continue to lurk on the big market. They were major Otani sweepstakes players last season but lost out to Los Angeles. While they have money to spend, the team’s future is very much in flux, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette facing free agency at the end of the 2025 season.
As for the Red Sox, their interest in Soto signals to the rest of Major League Baseball that they are back as big-game hunters. While they are not the favorites to land Soto, their intent is clear: They are going to be in on practically every star player available this winter.
