The “Juan Soto sweepstakes” are taking over baseball, and rightfully so. How often are you going to see a 26-year-old generational player entering free agency before his prime years have even begun? Soto has already had in person, introductory meetings with the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and New York Yankees. He’s set to meet with the Philadelphia Phillies soon as well.<\/p>\n
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers recently polled 18 MLB team executives and baseball insiders about the upcoming free agency period. Among the questions asked were two about Soto. They were asked where Soto would sign and if he would land a deal over $600 million. The results of the poll were quite interesting. It revealed 11 votes for Soto landing a contract over $600 million and seven votes saying he wouldn’t. There were also 12 votes that Soto signs with the Yankees, four that he signs with the Mets, and two that he signs with the Blue Jays.<\/p>\n
The rationale for these results was quite simple. The Steinbrenner family doesn’t lose bidding wars with their stars. “A common belief from our respondents was that the Yankees will match (or come close enough to matching) any number agent Scott Boras brings them to keep Soto in pinstripes,” Rogers wrote. “The message we heard from our insiders was clear: The Yankees don’t let stars walk. That happens to other teams.” Dating back a few weeks, my prediction was that Soto would land with the Yankees in a deal worth somewhere between $630 million and $675 million. I don’t see him venturing into the $700 million range. But how cool would it be if his deal did begin with a big, ol’ seven?<\/p>\n
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