Press Box: Who will sign Soto?
Illustration by Nathan Varney.
Dan Elson, Contributing writer
The New York Yankees superstar outfielder Juan Soto is set to become MLB’s biggest free agent target this offseason.
Soto is in his prime and I think he will land one of the biggest contracts in sports history. Soto, only 26, will stay in New York but not in the Bronx, and I believe he will sign with the New York Mets and receive a 13 or 14-year deal that’s worth around $650 million.
Soto will receive a massive contract because he is a generational hitter. He hits for power, a high average and contact, and is a great opposite-field hitter.
Soto thrived in his one and maybe only year with the Yankees. He hit .288 with 41 home runs and drove in 109 runs — his best career offensive numbers, according to Baseball-Reference.
Soto also thrives in the postseason, and he only gets better on the national stage.
Mets owner Steve Cohen is the richest owner in Major League Baseball. The Mets have the highest payroll in baseball, according to The Athletic. In the 2022 offseason, Cohen signed future hall-of-fame pitchers Max Scherzer to a three-year $130 million deal and Justin Verlander to a two-year $86.7 million deal, according to Sporting News and ESPN.
The Mets are trying to win a World Series now, and adding Soto to a lineup that has shortstop Francisco Lindor and up-and-coming star third baseman Mark Vientos would improve their chances of winning a World Series.
Soto told reporters after game five of the World Series that “no team has an advantage” to sign him.
“We’re going to be available for all 32 teams,” Soto said. “I don’t want to say anybody has an advantage because at the end of the day, we’re going to look at what we have and how much they want me.”
The Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, all teams with a window to win the World Series, will also make a run at Soto.
Soto does prefer to stay on the East Coast, according to the MLB. Signing with the Dodgers means Soto would play with Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Ohtani. That would be one of the best one-through-four of all time.
The Phillies lost to the Houston Astros in six games in the 2022 World Series. They haven’t been back since then. The Phillies have a talented lineup and with the addition of Soto, that should put them over the top and win their first World Series since 2008.
It’s clear Soto loved playing for the Yankees and batting in front of outfielder Aaron Judge, who hit .322 with 58 home runs and produced 144 RBIs, according to Baseball-Reference. Those two formed a chemistry and were one of the best duos of all time.
Soto had his best season yet because of Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field and he hit in front of Judge, which allowed him to see better pitches to hit in the strike zone.
Some baseball fans may wonder how the Dodgers could afford Soto after they signed two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year contract worth $700 million last offseason. The Dodgers smartly deferred a good chunk of that contract to sign more players.
Ohtani received the biggest contract in sports history because he is an elite hitter and pitcher, and the only successful two-way player since Babe Ruth. Soto won’t get more than Ohtani because he doesn’t pitch.
Some baseball fans may think Soto is not worth that money, but it’s all about winning championships in October. That’s a big deal. He will reset the market again and the Mets will be the team that makes it happen. Cohen will deliver the Mets a superstar and a generational talent.
