The Juan Soto sweepstakes have taken yet another turn. We know that the Mets and Yankees are heavily in the mix. The same can be said for the Dodgers, to an extent. Los Angeles might be a fringe option — though the Dodgers are slated to visit with the slugger. However, four other teams have been revealed to ‘be in the mix’ for the hitter’s services. To what extent, we don’t know.
It’s still quite fascinating considering that some of these ballclubs aren’t exactly elite World Series contenders at this given time. Let’s try and handicap the field as best as possible.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants are scheduled to meet with Soto. On the surface, this doesn’t look like a match. San Francisco is starved to sign a megastar. San Francisco is a great baseball market, and the city/its surrounding areas do have much appeal despite what many in the mainstream media may lead you to believe. However, even with Giants legend Buster Posey now facilitating personnel decisions, San Francisco’s conservative spending may keep them from being relevant in this race. Playing at one of the most pitcher-friendly parks might also not appeal to Soto despite being arguably the best hitter in the game.
Toronto Blue Jays
We don’t know exactly what Toronto was offering Shohei Ohtani last year. But, it had to be at least in the ballpark of what Soto will be asking for this year. Toronto presents the unique opportunity to pitch Soto as being the leader of the only team in Canada. He will achieve cult hero status with any semblance of success. The Blue Jays have a great fan base, deep pockets, and the possibility of bank endorsement money as the sole entity in the sport north of the border is attractive.
With Bo Bichette’s status a big unknown, it would behoove the Blue Jays to try and sign Soto. By doing so, the possibility of re-signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would seem to improve. Building a future around those two guys appears to be a smart decision. Toronto has to do something because the status quo hasn’t been good enough. It could result in the Jays going all-in on the prodigious slugger.
Washington Nationals
Why not take another bite at the proverbial apple? Washington quietly has put together a very talented core of young players — ironically in part due to trading Soto years ago to the San Diego Padres. Being in the nation’s capital is a draw, and you can envision a scenario where Soto returns to where he got his start as a more established player. Don’t count Washington out…it may be the biggest dark horse of the group.
Boston Red Sox
Boston is lurking in a real way. The front office seems motivated to spend money and improve the club. There’s a nice core present with the Red Sox, and one could argue Boston’s future is quite bright all things considered. Signing Soto would not only improve the club, but it would also be a heavy blow to the team’s most hated rival. A Soto-Rafael Devers one-two punch with the short porch in right seems like a terrifying situation for pitchers across the league.
