MLB fact or fiction: Ranking all Juan Soto rumors by their basis in reality

The Juan Soto sweepstakes are underway, and there are teams preparing to fly to California to meet with the superstar outfielder and his agent, Scott Boras. Among the teams scheduled to meet with the duo include the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, among others.

There will surely be other teams interested in Soto throughout the offseason. After all, it’s rare for a player of Soto’s caliber to reach free agency; a 26-year-old who has played seven seasons, hitting .285/421/.532 with 201 home runs and 592 RBI, and established himself as one of the premier players in baseball with the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees.

Here are my thoughts on the latest rumors surrounding Soto.

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New York Yankees

I absolutely buy that the Yankees are a favorite for Soto. They aggressively pursued him last winter, traded five players to acquire him, and advanced to the World Series with him.

Not retaining Soto isn’t an option for the Yankees. Failing to re-sign him would be a disaster of epic proportions for New York and be bad looks for Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman. Just think: these are the New York Yankees. They should not be outbid for any free agent, especially a player who was with them the season before.

Soto will likely go to the highest bidder. The Yankees have a lot of money to spend and could secure one of the best duos in baseball history with Aaron Judge and Soto if they indeed re-sign the superstar slugger. They’ll be in it until the very end. I absolutely buy their status in the Soto sweepstakes.

New York Mets

If there was ever an owner to outbid the Yankees for Soto, it’ll be Steve Cohen. The New York Mets’ owner has deeper pockets than anyone in baseball and if he wants a player, he will go out and get him.

There’s evidence to suggest Soto is that kind of player for Cohen and the Mets.

Even before the season ended, there were signs that Soto’s market could come down to the Yankees and Mets. That remains a very realistic possibility, with the two New York teams driving up the bidding for Soto’s services. There will be others that attempt to take him out of New York, but if Cohen is as motivated as people believe to sign Soto, he’ll be very tough to outbid.

Boston Red Sox

At the General Manager Meetings in San Antonio, Texas, the buzz from people who spoke with the Boston Red Sox was that they would spend more this offseason than they had in previous offseasons.

Meeting with Soto would seem to confirm that. But would the Red Sox, who have been hesitant to spend significant dollars in previous years, really be all-in on Soto?

Soto is atop the Red Sox’s wish list, as Jeff Passan of ESPN reported, and he would be a culture-changing player who would instantly become the face of the franchise. He would vault the Red Sox into the World Series picture. But I’m skeptical that this ownership group would be in position to outspend Steinbrenner and Cohen.

Consider me skeptical of Soto and the Red Sox. But look for Boston to spend more dollars this winter than in years past.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are a team that rival executives have continually pegged to be a prime suitor in the Soto sweepstakes.

Considering the Blue Jays’ failed pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, there’s plenty of reason to believe that they will make an effort to sign Soto. Just how realistic their chances of signing Soto, and outbidding the Yankees and Mets for his services, are unclear. But they want to compete in 2025 with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette entering the final year of their contracts.

Signing Soto would be the Blue Jays’ best way to ensure staying competitive in 2025 and beyond. On the surface, Soto to Toronto would appear to be a long shot. But never say never.