MLB Power Rankings: Which Juan Soto suitors need the outfielder the most?

Everyone wants Juan Soto. What a feeling that must be — waking up every morning and thinking, "Wow, I wonder who's going to offer me the most money today?"

Must be pretty cool. Personally, I wake up and say "Wow, my back hurts today, maybe I shouldn't have played basketball for five minutes yesterday," but I digress.

With the Soto sweepstakes looking like they'll drag on for a while, all we can do is sit and wait until the superstar announces his decision. At the moment, the Soto signing feels like it's holding up the rest of free agency; teams are waiting to see where the superstar signs, and then the free agency dominos will start to fall.

Despite all we know about where Soto may end up, where is he actually needed? Are the teams most willing to sign him the teams that are most desperate for his presence in their lineups? Not necessarily.

4. The Philadelphia Phillies might need one more guy

And Juan Soto is about as good of a "guy" as you will find in baseball. The Phillies offense looked like a steamroller for most of the regular season and then completely faceplanted in the playoffs. Weak contact, bad at-bats, over-aggression at the plate, you name it. It wasn't pretty.

Soto is almost unparalleled in his approach at the plate. He's never sped up, almost never fooled and has potentially the best eye in baseball, Soto's presence would have been exactly what the Phillies offense needed in the playoffs, and with a team that should look mostly the same next season, he would be the piece that really balances this offense for a World Series run.

3. The New York Mets will likely say bye to one slugger, and maybe say hello to another

The sadness of losing Pete Alonso this offseason would instantly be remedied if the New York Mets signed Juan Soto to (potentially) replace Alonso at first base. Alonso has mashed over 30 home runs in each of his full seasons in the majors, and his absence would put a pretty big hole in this lineup.

Plus, JD Martinez hit 16 home runs last season because he apparently will play baseball forever, and he is probably off to a different team as well in 2025.

New York's magical run in the 2024 playoffs should be enough to convince owner Steve Cohen that Soto is worth the hefty contract price, especially since he's likely losing his best power hitter from the past few years this winter.

2. The Boston Red Sox might have to replace some power in their lineup

Tyler O'Neil is not Juan Soto — sorry, Tyler. He did, though, lead the Red Sox in home runs last year with 31, and now a free agent himself, O'Neil is likely looking for a relatively big payday that Boston won't be able to match. Without O'Neil (and even with him, frankly) the Red Sox aren't particularly powerful at the top of their lineup.

Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran are both high-level hitters, but the offense as a whole was wildly inconsistent last season. After starting hot, the bats cooled off considerably in the second half of the season, coming alive on occasion but never being trustworthy for long stretches.

Soto is about as trustworthy of a bat as you can have in a lineup, and Boston needs that if it wants any shot in the AL East next year.

1. The Toronto Blue Jays need an offensive injection

How realistic is Soto to the Blue Jays? That depends on who you ask, although the Jays did get a first-round interview with the superstar, so we're going to say that's enough of a shot to warrant them being on this list.

There's not a shortage of offensive talent on this team, but there is a lack of top-end production after Vladamir Guerrero Jr, who was the only Blue Jay to hit over 20 home runs last season (he hit 30) and the only one to record more than 60 RBIs, too.

A Bo Bichette bounceback year would do wonders for this offense, but the Blue Jays can't realy on in-house players if the club wants this offense to pop. Juan Soto's injection into this lineup would give the team one of the best duos in the American League in Soto and Vladdy Jr. It's not quite Soto and Aaron Judge level, but is anything?