MLB insider predicts if Juan Soto will pick Yankees, Mets in free agency

Numerous reporters continue to believe that All-Star New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto will either ultimately put pen to paper on a new contract to stay with the Yankees or join the New York Mets in free agency shortly after the World Series concludes. 

MLB insider Kiley McDaniel of ESPN thinks the Yankees will have to be the last team standing during the ongoing postseason tournament to win the Soto sweepstakes. 

“If the Yankees win, he returns. If the Yankees lose, he goes to the Mets,” McDaniel said about Soto’s pending free-agency journey during the latest edition of the “Baseball Tonight” podcast, as shared by Tim Crowley of NESN. 

Shortly after the Yankees advanced to the American League Championship Series via Thursday’s 3-1 win over the Kansas City Royals, Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media noted that the Bronx Bombers are “heavy favorites to roll over” either the Detroit Tigers or Cleveland Guardians en route to reaching the Fall Classic. 

Meanwhile, ESPN previously mentioned the Mets “are expected to be mid-sized underdogs” against either the San Diego Padres or the Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming National League Championship Series.

Multiple stories published this past summer suggested that Yankees captain Aaron Judge wouldn’t care about being the second-highest-paid player on the team behind Soto. For a piece published on Thursday evening, Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote that “the rumor that the Yankees will cap their final Juan Soto offer at $40M annually because they can’t offend Aaron Judge (who makes $40M) is a ‘lie,’ according to a person familiar with their thinking.” 

In late September, ESPN’s Buster Olney said he believed the Yankees will be “outbid by somebody” for Soto’s services. Crowley pointed out that Olney “floated the Mets to win the (Soto) sweepstakes regardless after an unexpected playoff run” during the recent “Baseball Tonight” podcast episode.

With all of that said, one of Soto’s friends who is a former teammate raised eyebrows when he revealed this week that the MLB community should look for the Toronto Blue Jays “to make an astronomical offer” for Soto in free agency. It’s thought that Mets owner Steve Cohen could be willing to give the slugger, who turns 26-years-old later this month, a deal worth up to $600M. 

“The Jays are indeed expected to play for Soto,” Heyman added on Thursday. “…Personally, I never count out the Dodgers.”

There continues to be no sign that Soto will give the Yankees or any other team a discount in negotiations. Perhaps he will leave some money on the table to chase a Yankees legacy if he hoists the Commissioner’s Trophy in a couple of weeks, but it remains to be seen just how much team owner Hal Steinbrenner will spend to stop Soto from playing home games in Queens next spring.