Teams are expected to submit offers to Juan Soto and his camp starting this week, per ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Thus far, Soto has met with a number of teams and officials in order to gain some rapport between both parties. The Los Angeles Dodgers are among interested clubs in pursuit of the Dominican star.
Forwarding offers is an important step in the process, which will likely continue to unfold in the coming weeks. Teams including the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies have also met with Soto.
The two New York teams remain the favorites to sign Soto. Both the Yankees and Mets have the financial flexibility to land Soto. However, the highly-touted free agent was adamant that his former team didn’t have the upper hand.
“We’re going to be available to every team. I feel like every team has the same opportunity,” Soto said after Game 5 of the World Series. “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.”
“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.”
If Soto doesn’t have a geographical preference, then the Dodgers would certainly be in the mix of favorites. However, the Dodgers are also focused on adding a big-name starting pitcher such as Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, or Max Fried.
Thanks to Shohei Ohtani deferring 97 percent of his contract, the Dodgers have the opportunity to add even more star power this winter but the front office hasn’t revealed where the team will set its sights.
The Dodgers have been linked to Soto as well as free-agent shortstop Willy Adames. Additionally, the Dodgers have been linked to starting pitcher Garett Crochet.
Soto also made it clear that in his journey to find a new team, winning is an important factor. The Dodgers have the most to offer in that aspect, but the tale of this offseason remains a mystery.
