Juan Soto rumors: Blue Jays contract disadvantage, Dodgers Ohtani edge, Phillies strength

Last winter, the prized superstar available in free agency was Shohei Ohtani, who nabbed a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This upcoming offseason, teams will be bidding for another superstar in New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto.

Soto is just 26 years old and one of the league's top hitters throughout his young career. The expectation is that he is going to cash-in on a massive contract this offseason. While it may not be as large as Ohtani's, it will get up there.

Here are the latest rumors surrounding Soto's upcoming free agency.

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MLB Rumors: Phillies' advantage in Juan Soto sweepstakes

The expectation this offseason is that the two favorites to sign Soto will be between the Yankees and Mets, both of New York's major league teams. Despite this, that's not to say teams are ruled out. In fact, one World Series contender the past couple of seasons is linked to Soto as well.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Philadelphia Phillies "are strongly expected to pursue" Soto this winter. There is an interesting bit of info that Nightengale drops, and it's that they want to team him up with Bryce Harper, who shares the same agent as Soto — Scott Boras.

Before the 2019 season, Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies. He did sign late in the offseason, but scored a gigantic contract nonetheless. This move helped the Phillies eventually turn into an annual postseason contender.

It's unknown if Soto will sign a deal as late in free agency as Harper, but it shouldn't be a shock that the Phillies are interested in signing him. This is the very team that has shown it will spend big money to field a World Series contender. In recent years, they signed the likes of Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler, and Kyle Schwarber to massive contracts, and it resulted in them making it to the NLCS twice in the past three years.

The thing is, will the Phillies hand out a contract offer that rivals the likes of the Yankees or Mets? We'll just have to wait and see. But as of now, you can expect the Phillies to make a run at Soto.

MLB rumors: Shohei Ohtani providing assist to Dodgers' pursuit of Juan Soto

Every year, the Dodgers are linked to the top free agents available on the market. That is mostly due to team ownership's willingness to spend big money to ensure they field a World Series-caliber team. So, it shouldn't come as a shock that the Dodgers are expected to make a run at Soto.

According to New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Dodgers have interest in signing their current World Series opponent. Heyman notes that Ohtani's current contract could help them in their pursuit of many free agents, not just Soto.

As we all know, the Dodgers signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract. However, that deal is heavily deferred. As in, $680 million is deferred to be paid out over a 10-year span from 2034 until 2043. Heyman also described the profit Ohtani is bringing the Dodgers, even after deferring his contract into the future.

"Word is that since $68M of Ohtani’s $70M salary is deferred without interest, the real cost to the Dodgers is closer to $30M annually, even lower than the $43.7M players union estimate," writes Heyman. "But the much larger benefit is the enormous profit the Dodgers are making via sponsorship and marketing opportunities. Two Asian airlines alone sponsor the Dodgers, the LA Times reported. Word is, the club’s profit is actually many times the cost to them of Ohtani’s record contract."

Ohtani's contract allowed the Dodgers to sign Teoscar Hernandez to a one-year, $23.5 million contract, traded for Tyler Glasnow, and inked Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million deal. Could it help the Dodgers sign Soto?

MLB Rumors: Juan Soto predicted contract could take Blue Jays out of the running

One team expected to make a run at Soto this winter is the Toronto Blue Jays. Last winter, they notably made a run at Ohtani, only to watch him sign with the Dodgers. With that, the belief from baseball fans is that they will make up for it by signing Soto.

Soto's asking price is going to be gargantuan. The Athletic MLB insider Ken Rosenthal predicted that his annual salary will be "starting with a five." As in, the $50+ million per year range.

Additionally, The Athletic national writer and former Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden predicts that Soto will sign a 15-year, $622 million contract this winter. As for best fits, the Blue Jays were listed alongside the Yankees and Mets. But, it may be time to pump the brakes on that.

Edward Eng of Jays Journal details why the potential annual salary could put the Blue Jays out of the running for Soto.

"...the Jays actually have multiple needs to address, whether it be in the outfield, the infield, or their pitching depth," writes Eng. "In particular, with their bullpen in desperate need of a total makeover, the luxury of arms in the upcoming free agency provide plenty of options to help fix their problem. As a result, can the Jays really afford to overspend on just one free agent and not adequately address any of their other needs due to depleted resources? The answer is an unfortunate no."

As Eng notes, the team has a variety of needs to address this offseason after Toronto underperformed as a whole this season. Eng also brings up the fact that the Blue Jays have to sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette to new contracts, as they are set to become free agents after the 2025 season. Those contract extensions won't be cheap for the Blue Jays, if they opt to re-sign the both of them.

While it's easy to see the Blue Jays making a run at Soto, they will likely be limited in spending money on other areas of need.