Insiders predict eye-watering Juan Soto contract only one team should match

The MLB offseason is pretty much on hold until Juan Soto signs his next contract. Some lower-tier names will find homes, such as the baffling Luis Severino-A's partnership, but the real heavyweights are going to let Soto set the market and then take advantage of the chaotic fallout.

As we approach the final stages of the negotiating process, it appears to be a four-horse race for Soto's services. The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox have all advanced to the final stages of bidding, but it's unclear which team holds the edge.

We can speculate all day — the New York teams are most likely Nos. 1 and 2, in some order — but we won't know for sure until the bombshell drops. Amid all that uncertainty, however, there's one thing we can say: Wherever Soto ultimately signs, he's going to be a very, very rich man, perhaps even richer than we previously thought.

We'd heard reports recently that Soto was targeting Shohei Ohtani's record-setting contract from last offseason. Ohtani inked a $700 million contract with the Dodgers, but that included record deferrals. (He's getting $2 million annually right now.) Soto could work deferrals into his next deal, but don't expect anything close to what Ohtani did. Soto will want his money up front.

How much money, exactly? Well, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, something in the ballpark of $750 million over 15 years is in the cards.

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Juan Soto could land $750 million contract at end of free agency bidding war

That would shatter the records for overall contract value and length. Soto, 26, is a four-time All-Star and World Series champ, so it's hard to argue against his worthiness. Critics will point to his shaky defense, but Soto is straight-up one of the most talented and well-rounded hitters in the league. His youth obviously drives up the price (and length) of the deal, as Soto could have another decade-plus of elite production in the tank.

Rosenthal's proposed contract would come out to $50 million annually for 15 years. That is a lot, but to the folks saying "why not sign multiple stars instead?", look at it on an annual basis. Soto finished last season with a 7.9 WAR and finished third in AL MVP voting. How many star combinations can actually surpass him for total value at less than $50 million annually? Blake Snell just got over $36 million annually from LA after a 2.1 WAR season. The potential length of Soto's contract is hard to wrap one's head around, but in terms of year-over-year value, $50 million might actually be a fair price.

As for which team can afford to mortgage the future and hitch its wagon to Soto for the rest of his career, it's rather obvious: the Mets. Steve Cohen is the richest owner in baseball, and there's reason to believe he'd spend aggressively enough to build out the roster around Soto. Hal Steinbrenner might go against the devil on his shoulder to re-sign Soto, but that contract almost certainly puts the Yankees out of future high-dollar bidding wars for a while.

Sean McAdam of MassLive even thinks the Soto contract could balloon closer to $800 million, so this really is Steve Cohen's race to lose. I'd love to see Soto ripping dingers over the fence at Fenway or even trying to salvage the wayward Blue Jays, but we know where his heart is at. Now, let's see which New York team takes the plunge.