Juan Soto will be the biggest free agent on the market this winter. But where will he end up?
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel polled "28 MLB executives, agents and insiders" to further break down Soto's future, and a number of clubs came up as likely suitors:
"It's still very early, of course, but the New York Yankees and Mets were by far the most common answer when discussing potential outcomes with our panel of baseball insiders. Beyond them, the Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays were all brought up multiple times—but everyone else mentioned is seen as secondary to the New York clubs at this point."
The median projection for his next contract among the 28 insiders polled, meanwhile, was a 13-year, $500 million deal. Three insiders believed he would exceed $600 million in total money, while another three believed he'd end up settling for a contract under $400 million.
That left 22 voters to believe his new deal would fall somewhere in the range of $400-599 million, with the number of years varying between 10-14.
Shohei Ohtani currently has the largest contract in MLB history in terms of total money and average annual value, with the Los Angeles Dodgers paying him $700 million over 10 years (though $680 million of that is deferred between the years of 2034-43).
Fernando Tatis Jr. has the longest overall deal, meanwhile, coming in at 14 years and $340 million.
Soto is going to get paid, and for a long time. He's only 25 and already a champion and three-time All-Star. He's having an MVP-caliber season thus far for the Yankees, hitting .318 with 17 homers, 53 RBI, 50 runs and a 1.024 OPS. If it wasn't for his red-hot teammate, Aaron Judge, Soto would be the front-runner for AL MVP.
And that means a number of teams are going to come calling.
The Yankees will want to retain the superstar pairing of Soto and Judge, while the Mets have been floundering in recent seasons and need something to reignite their fanbase. The Rangers have shown a willingness to splash major cash in free agency already, while the Giants have been trying unsuccessfully to lure superstars to the Bay Area for years.
The Blue Jays have an excellent young core but have struggled to get over the hump, while the Nationals have parted with a number of superstars in the past decade like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Max Scherzer and of course Soto—and may be seeking a reunion with their former man.
There will be a bidding war, in other words. It won't hit Ohtani money, but it's going to be a lucrative payday nonetheless.
