Juan Soto is beginning to slender his choices.
Scott Boras made that identified on Tuesday, stating that the celebrity free agent has begun to rule out groups. Whereas the agent didn’t specify who’s out of the working, the Yankees, Mets, Crimson Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers are the groups publicly identified to be probably the most severe about Soto.
“We’ve had meetings with a number of franchises,” Boras instructed reporters at Dodger Stadium. “He’s begun the process of eliminating teams and doing things. Juan is a very methodical thinker, so we’ll see, but I don’t think anything is imminent in the near future.”
Boras was at Dodger Stadium to attend an introductory press convention for an additional shopper, new Dodgers starter Blake Snell. His Soto replace additionally got here with the Winter Conferences set to start in Dallas on Sunday. The expectation is that Soto will make his remaining choice by the tip of the conferences, if not sooner.
Soto, 26, goes to signal a deal that may lengthen past a decade and price properly over half-a-billion {dollars}. In keeping with The Athletic, all remaining suitors have already made presents over $600 million.
With Boras beforehand scoffing on the concept of deferrals, Soto’s deal will doubtless break Shohei Ohtani’s file for current day worth. The 2-way Japanese star signed a closely deferred, 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers final offseason. That pact was valued at $460 million for aggressive stability tax functions, whereas the gamers’ union valued it at $438 million.
Soto and Boras are additionally gunning for the highest common annual wage. That additionally belongs to Ohtani, who’s making $46.08 million per yr for CBT calculations.
Whereas some have seen the Mets as favorites for Soto due to Steve Cohen’s deep pockets — The Athletic reported that there’s an trade perception the proprietor will high any bid — the Crimson Sox have additionally emerged as a risk. The Jays and Dodgers are considered as much less doubtless, however Toronto performed in Ohtani’s sandbox final winter and Los Angeles has no scarcity of cash and star energy.
The Yankees, in the meantime, have made retaining Soto a precedence as followers demand his return.
“I’ve got ears,” Hal Steinbrenner mentioned at MLB’s House owners Conferences final month. “I know what’s expected of me.”
Steinbrenner mentioned that after he, Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone, Randy Levine and Omar Minaya met with Soto and Boras for a number of hours in Sothern California on Nov. 18. Steinbrenner referred to as {that a} “good” and “very honest” go to.
Soto loved the perfect season of his profession whereas enjoying within the Bronx in 2024, slashing .288/.419/.569 with 41 residence runs, 109 RBI, a 180 wRC+ and an 8.1 fWAR whereas batting in entrance of Aaron Decide, the American League MVP. The slugger, who completed third in MVP voting, went on to hit .327/.469/.633 with 4 residence runs and 9 RBI within the postseason.
Along with an exceptional yr that ended with a World Sequence loss to the Dodgers, Soto additionally dealt with the New York highlight properly, match into the Yankees’ clubhouse and bonded with the membership’s passionate followers. By all accounts, he appeared to genuinely get pleasure from his time in pinstripes, although that doesn’t assure he’ll put on the Yankees’ uniform once more.
“It’s been a blast for me,” Soto mentioned after the Fall Traditional. “I’ve been really happy. Definitely if I’m here or not, I’ll be really happy for the teammates that I have and the people that I got to know in here. This was a really special group.”
