- MLB. Juan Soto is set to disappoint the Dodgers as his free agency saga takes another turn
- MLB. Juan Soto's big announcement takes baseball by surprise amid Shohei Ohtani and Dodgers links
For the first time in his seven-year MLB career, Juan Soto holds all the cards as contenders jostle for his signature in free agency. After leading the New York Yankees to their first American League pennant in 15 years, Soto has hit the market as one of the most coveted free agents in baseball history -- and reports have indicated that he is nearing a decision about his future.
Soto swatted a career-best 41 home runs in 2024, and he is widely expected to command more than $600 million following the expiration of his deal with the Yankees (which amounted to a one-year contract following a 2023 trade from the San Diego Padres). Soto, 26, is also seeking long-term security; interested teams will have to offer the four-time All-Star a contract between 10 and 15 years long in order to entice him. Only a handful of teams -- including a "sleeping giant" in the AL -- are willing to meet both stipulations put forth by Soto's agent, Scott Boras.
Boston's push for Soto might be successful
Since dealing Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers shortly before the abbreviated 2020 season, the Boston Red Sox have been unable to land or develop a superstar outfielder in the tradition of Betts, or Manny Ramirez, or Ted Williams. But that might be about to change, as the Red Sox are making a big push to sign Soto in the coming days -- and it might work.
Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter believes the Red Sox will win the race for Soto, even if the choice comes after the Winter Meetings, between Dec. 9 and Dec. 12. Boston is poised to convince Soto to leave Yankee Stadium for Fenway Park courtesy of a mammoth 15-year, $675 million contract which -- assuming there is no deferred money -- will convert into the richest "current dollars" deal in baseball history.
Leaving New York for Boston would make Soto "public enemy #1" in the eyes of Yankees fans, owing to the longstanding rivalry between those two clubs. But such is the nature of free agency: if Soto does not want to stay in the Bronx, then he doesn't have to. And the Dominican slugger would make the Red Sox an instant contender to win their first World Series since 2018 after several years in baseball's wilderness.