The Juan Soto sweepstakes could be barreling toward a conclusion, with reports that the slugger is close to making a nine-figure decision on his MLB future.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the former New York Yankees star, who hit free agency this offseason, is nearing a decision on a deal that could set MLB history.
“Juan Soto is on the verge of signing a monstrous deal that will certainly exceed a record $700 million – perhaps even reach $750 million – two officials with direct knowledge of negotiations told USA TODAY Sports,” Nightengale reported on Sunday. “The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly comment.”
While the Yankees and New York Mets have been seen as frontrunners as both teams have owned with deep pocketbooks and are willing to spend, MLB insider Greg Amsinger believes another team could be jumping into the lead.
Amsinger predicted a wide-open race with no team above a 50% shot at signing Soto as of Sunday evening. He had the Mets as the most likely team at 38% likelihood followed by the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I believe the Toronto Blue Jays may be drastically large [favorites] and could throw money that is astronomically higher than the New York Yankees,” Amsinger reported on Sunday.
He added that the Blue Jays may not be able to keep stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, so Soto would be a long-term investment to keep them in contention in a competitive AL East.