If you’re wondering how much longer you’ll have to wait to find out if Juan Soto will return to the Yankees or not, the answer is not very long. Andy Martino of SNY reported today that a decision could come before the Winter Meetings, with sources telling him that teams may have begun the final phase of bidding this week. Yesterday, Jack Curry reported that the decision could come in the next 7-10 days, adding that the team is comfortable with where they lie in these sweepstakes as of right now.
Whether the Yankees will retain Soto or not remains to be seen, but with multiple aggressive suitors in the mix and a chance to roster a superstar for the long haul on the line, the whole baseball world will be watching closely.
Juan Soto May Be Nearing a Decision, Yankees Hoping For Good News
The buzz around a potential Juan Soto decision is palpable, and the star free agent is gearing up to set contract records after a career-best year in pinstripes. After being traded to the Yankees, Soto posted his best fWAR (8.1) and wRC+ (180) in a full-season, and the suitors for his services are just as box office as he is.
It’s believed that the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Blue Jays are all involved in the sweepstakes, and while the perception has long been that he would stay in New York, no one knows for certain. The lack of reliable information from Soto’s camp is by design; losing leverage in these deals and revealing his hand could cost him money, as each team in the bidding war would love to pay record-setting money to land him.
Last night Jack Curry mentioned that Soto would break the $47 million a year record set by Shohei Ohtani last offseason, and if you extrapolate that over 13-14 years, you end up with deals nearing the $700 million range. The Yankees are reportedly “all-in” according to Andy Martino and Jack Curry seconded their aggression, but other teams want him just as badly.
The Mets are also described to be “all-in” and their deep pockets thanks to Steve Cohen would indicate that they can back their talk with their wallets. Boston was also described to be aggressive in their pursuit of Soto by Jack Curry, as were the Toronto Blue Jays who may make an extremely aggressive offer that tops anyone else’s. Whether it comes down to strictly the dollar amount or not, a team will have to pay some big bucks to land Soto.
For the Yankees, this sweepstakes has a lot more on the line than just their chances to compete in 2025, as losing Juan Soto would forever tarnish the way fans and media alike look at Hal Steinbrenner. After making comments earlier this offseason that the team could “sign any player they want”, it would be a tough look to then lose Soto, especially to either an in-division rival or your crosstown rivals.