New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is expected to earn a contract worth over $600 million this winter.
The final five teams for Soto have been revealed to be the Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays.
It’s doubtful the Dodgers remain in the race after inking pitcher Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal on Tuesday.
The top two teams are expected to be the Mets and Yankees, though the Red Sox and Blue Jays have turned up the heat a bit as of late.
Now, Jon Heyman of the New York Post has reported that the Bronx Bombers have upped their bid to try to bring Soto back to the Bronx in 2025. “The Yankees upgraded their initial bid within the past couple of days to superstar free agent outfielder Juan Soto, perhaps improving their position in a sweepstakes that involves at least five big-market teams, according to people familiar with the situation,” Heyman wrote.
“The incumbent Yankees are making clear their resolve to try to retain their top target, but they also understand that the well-watched derby is only in the middle innings. The situation remains fluid, and any of four or more other interested teams still has a chance to win the prize of the winter.”
The heat has been turned up on the Yankees after the Dodgers signed Snell. Los Angeles has widened the gap between itself and the rest of the league and the Yankees understand that.
New York is now going to look to push even harder for Soto, even if that means clearing past its old limit on how much it would be willing to spend on Soto’s contract.
