With the 2024 season behind us and the Scorching Range able to burn, we’re taking a detailed have a look at among the most distinguished gamers eligible without cost company.
Identify: Juan SotoPosition: OutfielderTeam: New York YankeesAge (as of Opening Day 2025): 262024 stats: .288/.419/.569, 41 HR, 109 RBIs, 128 R, 178 OPS+
Let the Juan Soto sweepstakes start.
From the second Soto turned down the Nationals’ 15-year, $440 million contract again in mid-2022, it was crystal clear that the All-Star slugger would check free company on the finish of the 2024 season.
Two trades and two groups later, that point has lastly arrived.
Following an excellent season within the Bronx throughout which he helped the Yankees attain the World Sequence for the primary time in 15 years, Soto is now the most popular free agent within the recreation, placing himself in place to problem Shohei Ohtani’s data for complete assured {dollars} and common annual worth in a baseball contract.
This isn’t to say he’ll get a deal north of the 10-year, $700 million pact that Ohtani signed with the Dodgers final winter, however provided that $680 million of that deal was deferred till 2034, the present-day worth of that contract was a bit of greater than $460 million, giving Ohtani an AAV of roughly $46 million.
Provided that Soto already turned down $440 million and continues to be within the midst of his prime, many contained in the trade anticipate him to signal a deal price greater than $50 million per season for at the very least 10 years.
Will the Yankees do what it takes to maintain Soto in pinstripes? Which golf equipment would be the greatest threats to pry him away from the Bronx? Let’s check out probably the most intriguing free agent of the 2024-25 offseason:
Soto’s one yr within the Bronx was a smashing success, as he posted MVP-type numbers, forming an unimaginable 1-2 punch with Aaron Choose that led the Yankees to the AL East title and a run to the World Sequence. Soto and the Yankees look like an ideal match, as few stars have taken to the brilliant lights of New York as seamlessly as Soto did in 2024. The Yankees’ payroll was north of $300 million this season, however they’ve greater than $80 million coming off the books this offseason. Will the Yankees be prepared to pay Soto $50 million or extra per season once they’re already spending $40 million a yr on Choose? Based mostly on this season, they might need to.
Soto appeared to get pleasure from his first yr in New York, and whereas the Yankees are considered as frontrunners to retain him, there’s a workforce throughout city that may doubtless attempt to convey him again to the Nationwide League East. Proprietor Steve Cohen has the monetary wherewithal to pay Soto no matter he needs, and if president of baseball operations David Stearns decides that Soto is the lacking piece for a membership that reached the NLCS, the Mets might show to be the largest risk to Soto’s return to the Yankees.
Should you can’t beat ‘em, be part of ‘em. Soto bought a first-hand have a look at how good the Dodgers are in the course of the World Sequence, however how a lot scarier would Los Angeles grow to be with Soto becoming a member of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman atop the lineup? The Dodgers have greater than $50 million coming off the books this winter, and whereas it’d seem to be overkill to signal Soto, it’s not clever to rule out the Dodgers as an choice when any star hits the market, particularly given the $68 million annual deferral in Ohtani’s contract.
At first look, this one seems like a sentimental risk, as Soto performed his first 4 and a half years within the Majors with Washington, serving to lead the Nationals to the 2019 World Sequence title. High prospects James Wooden and Dylan Crews graduated to the Majors in 2024, whereas Jacob Younger had a stellar defensive season in middle subject (20 outs above common). Soto would add a dynamic bat to the lineup that has been lacking ever since he was traded in 2022, and the Nationals might shift Crews to middle subject and use Younger as a fourth outfielder. The true query is whether or not Washington is able to spend the cash it can take to convey Soto again residence.
San Francisco has tried to swim within the deep finish of free company for the previous few years, taking massive pictures at gamers akin to Choose, Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto solely to see them signal elsewhere. New president of baseball operations Buster Posey might look to make a giant splash by including a celebrity akin to Soto, who has really hit effectively at Oracle Park, belting seven homers with a 1.050 OPS in 22 profession video games within the pitcher-friendly ballpark.
Philadelphia has loads of pleasant faces to make its pitch to Soto, who performed in Washington with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber and has a powerful relationship with hitting coach Kevin Lengthy. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has by no means been afraid to make a giant transfer, and if possession green-lights the kind of cash it can take to signal Soto, the Phillies might show to be a participant in these sweepstakes.
Toronto took a giant swing at Ohtani final winter, so we all know the Blue Jays are prepared to spend massive for large expertise. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette heading into their free-agent seasons, signing Soto would give the Jays one season with all three stars below contract, opening a brief-but-exciting alternative. It’s troublesome to think about Soto staying within the AL East and never being with the Yankees, however a transfer to Toronto would definitely boost this division rivalry.
“Soto is undeniably a perennial expertise. Regardless of having a below-average to poor fielding run worth, his offensive prowess greater than makes up for what his protection lacks. He slashed .288/.419/.569 within the common season with 41 residence runs and a 178 wRC+, and he simply participated in his second World Sequence at simply 26 years previous. His age and energy on the plate alone will garner him a contract price at the very least $500 million, doubtless the second-highest-paid participant behind Ohtani. Soto is attention-grabbing as a result of he’s anticipated to have a excessive asking worth, however his below-average protection will doubtless solely weaken over time, inflicting him to grow to be a full-time DH, particularly within the later years of his contract. Nevertheless, being a wonderful contact hitter who can drive in runs for his workforce – mixed along with his age – his presumed half-billion-dollar asking worth is justifiable for a workforce that intends to compete with him in the midst of the lineup.”
Soto’s offensive profile is nearly as good as any hitter within the recreation; his Baseball Savant web page seems to be like a valedictorian’s report card, with rankings within the 98th-to-A centesimal percentile in eight totally different classes. In relation to protection and baserunning, the identical can’t be mentioned, nevertheless. Soto posted -5 outs above common in 2024 (14th percentile), giving him a -28 mark for his profession. His baserunning can also be below-average, although his proficiency on the plate shouldn’t make both of those areas an enormous concern for golf equipment pursuing this generational expertise.
It’s troublesome to discover a robust comp for Soto, as his age and accomplishments put him in rarified air. As a two-way participant getting into his age-29 season, Ohtani provided a package deal the likes of which we had by no means seen: a celebrity each on the plate and on the mound with a following as massive as any participant within the recreation. Two years in the past, Choose landed a nine-year, $360 million deal following a 62-home run season that noticed him win the AL MVP award, however Choose was getting into his age-31 season when he reached free company. Soto simply turned 26 final week, an age when many gamers are simply getting into the arbitration course of, although there are some current comps: In 2019, each Manny Machado and Bryce Harper have been getting into their age-26 seasons once they signed for $300 million (10 years) and $325 million (13 years), respectively, however that was six years in the past. The final consensus is that 10 years and $500 million would be the flooring for Soto’s deal, although a bidding warfare between big-market groups might push that to $600 million or past.
