Juan Soto is expected to garner over $600 million in free agency this winter after leading the New York Yankees to a World Series appearance. The Yankees and their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets, have been widely regarded as the two front-runners for his services.
But according to a report from MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Toronto Blue Jays actually have a legitimate shot at swooping in and winning the Soto free agent sweepstakes.
Heyman reports that Toronto, coming off its first losing season since 2019, could be “the biggest threat to” sign the four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger Award winner away from the two New York teams:
“The Jays are viewed by industry sources as a viable obstacle to the favored Yankees and Mets, thanks to a well-heeled ownership and strong incentive to improve coming off the abject disappointment of 2024. They’ve had difficulty luring superstars, presumably due to geography and finances (high taxes and the Canadian dollar complicate things). But word is they are highly motivated and sources suggest they plan to be in big…
It will of course be a shock if anyone besides the known big-market suitors win this derby. But no one inside the game should be surprised if it’s the Jays who finally land the biggest fish.”
Heyman shared two other key points on the Jays’ pursuit of Juan Soto: They were willing to meet Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million price tag and tried to acquire the 26-year-old superstar last year from the San Diego Padres before the Yankees completed a trade for him.
So money won’t be an issue for the Jays in their quest to land Soto. That’s good news for Toronto fans who, prior to last year’s chase for Ohtani, weren’t used to seeing their deep-pocketed owners go after the top free agents.
Juan Soto Would Make Blue Jays World Series Contenders
There’s an urgency for Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins to improve a club that finished a woeful 74-88 last year, last in the AL East. It was a giant disappointment for a Toronto team that was coming off four straight winning seasons and consecutive wild-card berths.
The Jays still have several game-changers in Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Kevin Gausman and José Berríos. But adding a generational talent like Soto would turn the from playoff hopeful into bonafide World Series contender.
