Everything this offseason basically revolves around Juan Soto and his free agency decision. None of the other top free agents will likely sign while we wait for a Soto decision, because these free agents haven’t received offers from the teams chasing Soto and they won’t receive offers until Soto is off the board.
“The Yankees, (New York) Mets, (Boston) Red Sox, (Los Angeles) Dodgers and (Toronto) Blue Jays presented contract offers to agent Scott Boras late last week, the source said,” Miller wrote. “Soto is believed to be seeking a 15-year deal worth more than the record $700 million that Shohei Ohtani received from the Dodgers last season. Ohtani’s contract was for 10 seasons with most of the money deferred. It’s believed Soto isn’t interested in deferred money.”
Nobody should be surprised with this report. The only surprise that could come out of this is the Dodgers having an offer on the table, but it’s likely a very front-loaded contract with opt-outs. Los Angeles likely didn’t offer a straight up 15-year, $700 million deal.
As for what to look for next, the negotiations between Soto’s agent, Scott Boraswc and the five teams will be underway. The race could quickly drop from five teams to four teams and then quickly to three teams. Soto is demanding a lot of money and, at the very least, Steve Cohen and the Mets will be willing to pay it.
It will be interesting to see how the negotiations go and whether or not Soto’s deal will reach $700 million.
