Top free agent hitter Juan Soto’s new magic number is thought to be $700M (or more) — and that’s a solid $700M, not the record $700M contract that’s 97 percent deferred that Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani received from the Dodgers.
Word is that within two hours of the Yankees losing the World Series to Ohtani’s Dodgers in their Game 5 debacle, eight rival teams checked in with interest, and by Thursday morning, the number was up to 11. And while teams are disallowed from talking dollars for days, $700M is the number floating around even before his free agency can begin.
Soto was said to enjoy his year with the Yankees (even if he was less than effusive after Game 5), and the Yankees see him as a “great guy,” not just an all-time great player. But even they assume the contract/money will be the first priority (along with winning) when he decides where to play the next 13-plus years. (The Yankees seem resigned to go 13, but with him aiming to play into his 40s, 14 might actually be the minimum he’s looking for. If he gets $700M for 14 years, he would become baseball’s first non-deferred $50M a year player.)
The Yankees’ recent history suggests they aren’t market setters, as they re-signed the great, homegrown Aaron Judge but only by matching the Giants’ initial $360M offer, and only after club owner Hal Steinbrenner broke a split decision below him. So there’s some skepticism within Soto’s camp as to whether the Yankees will ultimately get this done for a player who isn’t homegrown.
The Yankees are not acting like they are beholden to keeping it to Judge’s $40M salary. Instead, they are far more interested in keeping baseball’s most dynamic lefty-righty slugging duo together. Judge’s priority is to keep winning, not to hold the franchise salary record, and while Soto stuck to the script and said all 30 teams have equal chances, his presence in the lineup/clubhouse is said to be seen as a plus.
While the Yankees are the highest-revenue team in at least their league, the improving, crosstown Mets, with MLB’s wealthiest owner, Steve Cohen, who’s expected to go for Soto, and the well-run Dodgers, whose financial condition improved with the revenue-generating Ohtani deal, have the wherewithal, too.
Big-market teams like the Giants, Blue Jays and Red Sox are expected to check in, and word shockingly is two small-market teams already have. Some are selling Soto on being their franchise guy as compared to with the Yankees, where it’ll be Judge’s team foreseeably, or the Dodgers (Ohtani’s team). But there’s no belief this matters to Soto.
The Yankees (and Mets) may hold a geographical advantage, and the Dodgers do wonder about that. But word is, Soto was “down the road” on a potential San Diego deal in 2023 before beloved Padres owner Peter Seidler took ill and passed away.
While the numbers on that possible Padres deal aren’t publicly known, the belief is it must have been huge — Seidler was determined to win and be ultra generous, and Soto is surely aware of those figures. So anything below that potential deal coming in free agency and after Soto’s monster season in New York (41 homers, .989 OPS) could be taken as an insult, according to a Soto confidant.
One Soto teammate said he believes Soto can basically name his price. But how can he get more than the impossibly talented, international superstar Ohtani, whose contract is valued at $437.4M? The reason is age. Soto just turned 26 last Friday.
Soto stuck to the script following the disheartening defeat that stamped the Dodgers as world champions, saying no team holds any edge entering this derby. Media tried, but he didn’t budge.
“We’re going to be available to every team. I feel like every team has the same opportunity,” Soto said after Game 5. “I don’t want to say anybody has the advantage because, at the end of the day, we’re going to look at what we have and how much they want me.”
While Soto didn’t signal the Yankees enter this free agent derby with an advantage, friends say he did mostly enjoy his New York time. He’s a happy guy who doesn’t complain much, or tip his hand, but he’s suggested to folks he did enjoy the clubhouse and clubhouse leader Judge.
“I’m really happy with the city, with the team. But at the end of the day, we will see,” he said. “We’re going to look at every situation, every offer and [make] a decision from there.”
There are free agent shockers (see Alex Rodriguez and Texas), but one close friend said he’d still guess the Yankees, Mets or Dodgers — not an unreasonable guess since they have bright futures and the most financial might.
