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The sweepstakes for superstar free agent Juan Soto is the biggest story in Major League Baseball. However, Soto's free agency saga may come to a conclusion earlier than many expected.
A definitive timeline of when Soto could make his final decision is becoming more clear according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez on Tuesday.
“Juan Soto's much-hyped free agency is nearing its final stages, with a source familiar with the process opening the possibility that the star outfielder could pick his destination by the end of this week — before the start of the annual winter meetings,” Gonzalez wrote.
“The industry's agents and executives will descend upon Dallas this Sunday,” Gonzalez continued. “Soto is widely expected to sign a record-breaking contract before they depart the following Thursday and could do so before they even arrive, an industry source told ESPN on Tuesday.”
While Soto's agent, Scott Boras, said that Soto has “begun the process of eliminating teams” on Tuesday at Blake Snell's introductory press conference after signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he doesn't think “anything is imminent in the near future.” Based on Gonzalez' reporting and Boras' comments, it appears that Soto may decide in the next few days.
A decision this early in the offseason before the Winter Meetings would be relatively unprecedented, but would be a welcome surprise. An early Soto decision would allow the teams that missed out on him to quickly pivot and spend their money elsewhere.
Boras, who already got one of his clients, Snell, to sign a contract earlier than expected, could be working more quickly this offseason after four of his clients, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Jordan Montgomery and Snell all signed below-market deals much later than expected last offseason.
Juan Soto's free agency
The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are the teams believed to have a serious shot at signing Soto.
The latest reporting suggests that Soto's contract will be worth over $600 million, and that any team still in contention to sign Soto is prepared to go above that number.
At just 26 years of age, Soto is already one of, if not the best hitter in baseball. Soto had one of the best seasons of his young career with the Yankees in 2024. He slashed .288/.419/.569 while hitting a career-high 41 home runs, driving in 109 runs, drawing 129 walks and scoring an American League-leading 128 runs.
