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As the bidding war for superstar Juan Soto rages on, reports have broke that the New York Mets have the biggest offer on the table currently. The Mets, led by deep pocketed owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns, have extended Soto a contract offer that could be worth up to $750 million. However, three other teams currently in the hunt, including the New York Yankees, his team last season, have offers of over $700 million out to Soto as well, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
“Juan Soto is on the verge of signing a monstrous deal that will certainly exceed a record $700 million – perhaps even reach $750 million – two officials with direct knowledge of negotiations told USA TODAY Sports,” reported Nightengale on Sunday morning. “The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly comment.”
If these latest reports are true, Soto will easily surpass Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason. Some reports indicate that the Dodgers are also in on Soto, but they are behind the Mets, Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays in regard to a contract offer at the moment. Soto's deal will also reportedly contain opt-outs as well in case the contract he will sign within the coming days becomes undervalued. With the reported $750 million on the board, will the Mets finally land Soto? Or will the Yankees bring him home?
Will Juan Soto leave Yankees and join Mets?
It's not surprising that the bidding for Soto has reportedly risen this high. At 26 years old, he still hasn't entered his prime, so whatever team signs him is likely getting a future Hall of Famer for the rest of his career. That in itself is highly valuable. Furthermore, Soto is certainly a top 10 player in the MLB at the moment, and likely top five. As long as he continues his current trajectory, then those who have called him the next Ted Williams will likely be correct.
His ability is why so many teams are in on the superstar. The Yankees saw up close and personal how much he can change their fortunes. His team up with Yankee captain Aaron Judge helped propel the Bronx Bombers back to the World Series. He finished third in the MVP voting, behind Judge (who won his second MVP) and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
So, to recap: Soto is approaching his theoretical prime and is certainly a top ten player in the majors today. Furthermore, his defense improved once again, and he's hungry to get better on that end as well. If his price tag wasn't so high, every team in the majors would be after him. Will he return to the Bronx? Will he call Citi Field home for the next decade plus? The baseball world will reportedly find out sooner, rather than later.
