Juan Soto rumors: Dark horse emerging, Yankees doubt, Steve Cohen's desperation

We're now into mid-November, and the Juan Soto sweepstakes are officially heating up. Soto and agent Scott Boras have begun taking meetings with teams in Southern California, inviting some of the deepest pockets in the sport to make their best offers for the 26-year-old superstar.

How have those meetings gone, and where will Soto wind up when the dust settles? Will the New York Yankees keep him in the Bronx, or will they be outbid by a rival from across town or across the AL East? Here's everything we're hearing.

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Juan Soto rumors: Is a mystery team lurking?

We know that the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees have already had meetings with Soto and Boras, and we know that the Los Angeles Dodgers are on deck. But apparently that's not an exhaustive list: According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, Soto's camp has "spoken with at least one other team besides those that have been reported". That's right everyone, it's mystery team season.

Feinsand drops the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays as teams that could also have gotten an audience with Soto, although just a couple of weeks ago it was reported that San Francisco didn't have a meeting on the schedule. The Rays were among the earliest reported suitors for Soto, but it's harder to take them seriously given the uncertainty surrounding Tropicana Field (and the fact that they'll be playing the 2025 season at the Yankees' spring training facility). Philly, however, remains an interesting dark horse: John Middleton has money to spend, and the team has been aggressive in shopping corner outfielders Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos. Don't count them out just yet.

Juan Soto rumors: Doubt emerges about Yankees offer

The New York Post's Jon Heyman reports that New York's meeting with Soto and Boras on Monday afternoon went "very well". But despite that good news, all is very much not well among Yankees fans right now. With the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers looming, it looks like it's going to take a record deal to keep Soto in the Bronx, and even the team's legendary former radio voice questions whether New York has the stomach for that sort of bidding war.

In an interview with Foul Territory on Monday, John Sterling acknowledged that, while the Yankees can make a compelling pitch for Soto, the outfielder is likely to take the best offer on the table — and that very well might not come from New York.

Soto reportedly loved his year in pinstripes, and New York can offer tradition, a rabid fan base and another MVP candidate in Aaron Judge. What they might not be able to offer, however, is the most money, at least not if their crosstown rivals have anything to say about it.

Juan Soto rumors: Mets owner Steve Cohen willing to go above and beyond

It sure sounds like Cohen is determined to make sure the Mets are the highest bidder for Soto's services. One rival executive told Heyman as much, saying, "I have a hard time seeing Steve Cohen be outbid."

Even the Yankees play-by-play man agrees. Citing an unnamed source, New York broadcaster Michael Kay claimed on his radio show Monday that Cohen is determined to take whatever a rival bidder is willing to offer Soto — and then beat it by $50 million.

This tracks with other reporting recently, which has claimed that Cohen is hellbent on making sure Soto doesn't get away. Cohen is quite possibly the richest owner in baseball, with a net worth in the tens of billions, and he's been determined to thrust the Mets back into contention from the moment he assumed majority control of the team back in 2020. Free agents like Soto don't come around very often, and the Mets have some $180 million coming off their books on the heels of a dream run to the NLCS. Money should be absolutely no object, in other words, and no team is more willing and motivated to make Soto a godfather offer.