Perhaps Juan Soto’s free agency will be an exception to the Scott Boras rule.
More often than not, clients of the super-agent on the open market do not sign deals until the latter portions of the offseason — sometimes even right before spring training or on the cusp of Opening Day.
Numerous notable Boras clients did the same last year alone. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell did not sign with the San Francisco Giants until March 18 — 15 days after third baseman Matt Chapman joined the NL West club on a one-year deal. Veteran designated hitter JD Martinez did not agree to a one-year deal with the Mets until March 23. Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery, one of the Texas Rangers’ World Series heroes in 2023, did not sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks until March 29.
Considering the size of the domino that Soto is, getting a deal done earlier in the offseason will allow the rest of the free-agent market to fall as it may, though it feels like it will all wait for the 26-year-old superstar right fielder to choose a new home. That alone should be motivation enough for Boras to help get a deal done earlier.
Regardless, it would be surprising to see the Soto sweepstakes wind into January or even after the Winter Meetings from Dec. 9-12 in Dallas, TX.
Soto obviously eclipses every one of Boras’ late signings from last year by a considerable margin. There will only be a handful of motivated teams looking to shell out the historic $600 million-plus contract that is on deck. The Mets, Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox have already met with him, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were also expected to do so on Tuesday. A mystery team will always be included, whether it be the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, or Tampa Bay Rays. But the bidding should come hot and heavy once everyone is under the same roof at the Winter Meetings.
This likely will not be a case of Boras waiting out the market as he did back in 2019 when he jumped through hoops to get Bryce Harper a 13-year, $330 million deal, which at the time made it the largest free-agent contract in MLB history. The offers are already coming in for Soto, and they are significant enough that a resolution should be made sooner rather than later.
