Teams are expected to make offers to Juan Soto this week

The competition to land a superstar free agent Juan Soto is set to enter its next phase which ESPN’s Buster Olney reported this afternoon that teams are expected to begin sending offers to the outfielder’s camp this week. Olney adds that to this point in the process, Soto has met with teams, giving Soto and the officials from interested clubs a chance to get to know each other. The Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Dodgers and Phillies are all known to have met with Soto at this time. The Giants, Rays, and Royals are all known to be among the teams that have also reached out to Soto, though no meetings between Soto and any of those clubs are publicly known to have taken place, and the Royals have already reportedly viewed the offseason’s top free agent as outside their comfort zone.

Of course, the aforementioned list of teams is certainly not exhaustive. As-yet-unreported clubs have certainly reached out and perhaps even met with Soto as he prepares to sign what figures to be the largest contract in MLB history in terms of net present value this winter. As a two-time MVP finalist and career .285/.421/.532 hitter hitting the market ahead of his age-26 season, Soto stands as the rare free agent who would make sense for virtually any game timeline and stand as an upgrade to all 30 ball clubs, so his market will be more limited by teams’ willingness to spend enough to get him rather than positionally or competitively.

The general consensus around the game appears to be that the Yankees and Mets are the favorites for Soto’s services, as both deep-pocketed New York teams seem motivated as the Yankees look to retain their key addition from last offseason, who helped to remove the club from missing. playoffs in 2023 for an AL pennant this past season, while the Mets hope to build on a 2024 campaign that saw them reach the NLCS for the first time since 2015. Soto obviously has a spot in the Yankees lineup as their incumbent right fielder, though he might make even more sense for a Mets club that could push Star Marte to DH to accommodate the addition of Soto given that the acquisition of Soto forced the Yankees to spend Aaron Judge as their everyday midfielder last year.

However, this does not mean that the other teams in the mix should be counted out. The Phillies and Dodgers are both already in need of outfield help this winter and could further bolster the already excellent lineups that made them the class of the NL this year by landing Soto. The Blue Jays figure to be particularly motivated after they just fell short in last winter’s Ohtani sweepstakes and subsequently missed the playoffs in 2024, while the Red Sox appear poised to resume spending commensurate with their market size this winter after having spent the last several winters on the periphery of free agency. MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a look at all 30 clubs in the Soto sweepstakes by Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.

While Soto has emphasized the importance of team competitiveness in his decision-making, and there have been questions about whether he might prefer an East Coast team given his offseason homes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the Dominican Republic, the ultimate factor is that is crucial to separate Soto’s suitors is money. With offers expected to be made over the next week, it is possible for previously unknown suitors to emerge as contenders for the star’s services or currently reported suitors falling behind in the bidding process. It’s also possible that the process will start moving quickly once offers start rolling in; MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported earlier this week that the belief around the game is that Soto could sign during or even before the winter meetings, which run from 9-12. December in Dallas next month.