Juan Soto will be a rich man when all is said and done this offseason.
A five-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Soto's free agency has been a hot topic, with the Post's Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman reporting that Soto's blockbuster contract is worth more than $600 million. There are expectations.
Heyman reported last week that Soto has a chance to set a contract value record when the ink dries, thanks to the Dodgers' $700 million contract with Shohei Ohtani, but 97% of the amount is deferred interest. The contract value is approximately $450 million. free.
There is also another hope that Soto can complete his long-awaited free agent contract by the end of the winter meetings in Dallas next Thursday, or even earlier.
Things appear to be nearing a tipping point in the sweepstakes, with the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Dodgers among the options for the 26-year-old superstar.
Soto's agent, Scott Boras, said Tuesday at Blake Snell's introductory press conference that the four-time All-Star has begun the process of “weeding out” competing teams. , it is not yet clear which organization Soto has decided to take over.
Boras added that a decision was “not imminent”.
“When you're going through these things, he has a lot of information to just blend it together,” Boras said. “We've had meetings with a lot of franchises and he's started the process of eliminating teams and doing things. Juan is a very methodical thinker, so we'll see. , I don't think anything is imminent in the near future.”
Just last week, the Yankees upped their bid for Soto, who is looking elsewhere within the framework of a 15-year contract.
Heyman added that Soto likely has no interest in a short-term team contract.
The Mets' deep-pocketed owner, Steve Cohen, had nothing positive to say about Soto when asked about Soto's free agency last Monday.
“Listen, we'll look into it. It's either yes or no. There is no in between. Time will tell,” Cohen said.
Already an MVP candidate, Soto put on a show in New York in 2024, hitting a career-high 41 home runs and hitting a slash line of .288/.419/.569, leading to the Yankees' first American League title in 15 years. He contributed to the victory. .
Soto has a career OPS of .953 and OPS+ of 160, which is 60 percent better than league average.
Soto already has great talent with the bat, but in time he'll be able to put it together and win a prize.
