Ex-Mets GM: Here’s what Yankees’ Juan Soto will sign for and when it will happen

If you thought the Juan Soto free agency rumors were overwhelming during the New York Yankees’ season, just wait a few months.

Soto made it clear late Wednesday night, after the Yankees’ season ended in Game 5 of the World Series, that he will listen to anyone interested and that “every team has the same opportunity … we’re going to look at what they have. and how much they want me.”

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In the ensuing hours, the first offseason reports and speculation have emerged regarding his offseason. Jon Heyman of The New York Post said 11 teams have already contacted agent Scott Boras about Soto, with the New York Mets being one of them, according to The Post’s Mets beat writer Mike Puma. Former Mets general manager Zack Scott has also spoken out about X.

I was asked what I thought he would get. I took the Price is Right approach and said $701 million. That will be the headline, but there will be a lot of delays. Its current value will be $500-600 million. I expect NYM, NYY, SF and the Nats, among others, to be top candidates.

Scott, who was with the Mets from 2020 to 2021, told a fan that he expected Soto to sign by December 25 (Christmas), and that the Mets were his choice. Scott doesn’t necessarily believe the Los Angeles Dodgers are a fit: “I’d be surprised given their commitments.”

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The Mets have been seen as the favorite for Soto over the past year as they take $90 million off their books and name Steve Cohen as their owner, the richest in the game. Teams can’t talk about money until five days after the World Series, which concluded on Oct. 30.

The San Diego Padres acquired Soto in 2022, when reports surfaced that the outfielder had turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension with the Washington Nationals. The Yankees traded for Soto last offseason, and despite owner Hal Steinbrenner’s desire to retain Soto for life, the 26-year-old outfielder was unlikely to commit to his future without testing the open market.

Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs in the regular season, with a 178 OPS+, the second-highest of his career.