How will the World Series impact Juan Soto's FA decision?

The 2024 World Series matchup is officially set, and it's a doozy. Seriously, it could not be much better. The New York Yankees are facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers for all of the marbles. Shohei Ohtani will duel with Aaron Judge. Gerrit Cole will attempt to out-pitch Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Juan Soto will try to prove he's a better right fielder than Mookie Betts. The storylines are simply endless.

The games should be fascinating to watch and as entertaining as a World Series has been in a while, but not all 30 fan bases really care about the result. In fact, most of them are focused on the offseason now that their team has been eliminated.

The biggest name that will be in rumors this offseason is Juan Soto, the best free agent on the market. With the fact that Soto is one of the best players in baseball, on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and going to be just 26 years old by Opening Day next season, his asking price is going to be enormous, and where he lands should be fascinating to see.

As of now, nobody knows anything about Soto's upcoming free agency, and that's because he's still playing. He is set to appear in the second World Series in his seven-year career, fighting for a chance to win a second ring. With that in mind, one question in particular has to be asked. Will the result of the World Series - whether Soto's Yankees win or lose - have any impact on his free agency decision?

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World Series outcome will have little impact on Juan Soto's FA decision, if any

Obviously this is all just speculation, but it's hard to see how winning or losing this World Series has any impact on Soto's decision. If he wins one, will he not want to win another with New York? If he loses, will he not want to come back and get revenge? His decision will be based on what the Yankees offer him and what else is out there.

By all accounts, Soto has had a great time in his first season in the Bronx, and why shouldn't that be the case? He's gotten the chance to play in front of an extremely passionate fan base every night. He's gotten the chance to play in a historic ballpark, Yankee Stadium, that fits him perfectly and even gives him the best chance to hide his very subpar glove. He's on a team that has a great history of winning and that should be good in the future.

At the end of the day, though, it really feels as if this decision will come down to money. He hired Scott Boras to represent him for a reason. He turned down a $440 million contract from the Washington Nationals for a reason. Soto wants to maximize his worth in the open market. The Yankees will want him back and will offer him a ton of money, but what if an owner like Steve Cohen of the crosstown rival New York Mets comes up with an offer that blows Hal Steinbrenner's out of the water? Would Soto really not take it?

Sure, the Mets don't have the Yankees' history of winning, but they did just make it to the NLCS. If the Mets come to Soto with an offer much more financially appealing than that of the Yankees, will the result of the World Series really have an impact, especially when the Mets seem to have a roster capable of winning right now?

Nobody truly knows what kind of impact this series has on his decision other than the man himself, but arguments can be made that Soto will want to stay with the Yankees whether they win or lose. The question will really be, will the Yankees make him a comparable offer to other desperate big-market teams that want Soto desperately? Teams like the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies (to name a few) all have the pieces to win for several years to come, and it wouldn't be shocking to see any of them finish with the highest bid.

The Yankees losing the World Series might entice them to be more desperate and give Soto more money, but the World Series result likely won't impact Soto's decision too much.