New York media pushes Juan Soto away thanks to Blue Jays ‘astronomical’ offer

For New York Yankees fans sake, I hope Juan Soto doesn’t have one foot out the door already as a sought-after free agent this upcoming offseason. Because if he does, some New York media members may have just given him the final nudge out of the Bronx. 

After the Yankees grabbed a Game 3 win over the Kansas City Royals, NJ Advance Media asked Soto about an ‘astronomical’ offer the Toronto Blue Jays were planning to throw his way. Soto brushed it off, saying he’s not worried about any of that while the season is still alive and the Yankees are looking to return to the World Series for the first time since 2009. 

“I don’t know anything about that,” Soto said in the NJ Advance Media article. “They can’t talk to me now. Let’s see what happens in the offseason.”

As he should. The offseason will play out soon, but until then, even if he was concerned about who’s going to throw him the biggest bag, the better he plays, the more he can make.

But it does beg the question, how much could Soto get his first offseason as an unrestricted free agent? He may not dwell on those things right now, but it does bring on curiosity of how much he could sign for and who decides to cut the check. 

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New York Yankees will be in a bidding war to retain Juan Soto this offseason

It’s been rumored the New York Mets as well as the Blue Jays are prepared to be involved with negotiating with Soto. Both teams could afford what’s anticipated to be the richest contract in MLB history. While Soto doesn’t pitch too, he’s certainly put himself in the conversation of out-doing Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers.

According to Tim Britton of The Athletic, he’s projecting Soto to be in the 14 year, $560 million range for his next pay day. His teammate, Aaron Judge, just signed a nine-year, $360-million contract and back in 2019, Mike Trout signed a 12-year contract worth just under $430 million. 

With the Mets’ Pete Alonso’s pending free agency this offseason, if they don’t bring him back, they’ll be in the market for an offensive replacement. Even if they bring Alonso back, why not add Soto too, if nothing more then to rub it in the Yankees’ face. 

Another team to keep an eye on is the Blue Jays. The NJ Advance Media article said the Blue Jays could be throwing out an offer upwards of $600 million. 

Whoever wins the bidding war over Soto will have to open the check book. The Yankees are going to do everything they can to keep him paired with Aaron Judge. The Mets would love nothing more than to strip their rival of one of their best hitters. And the Blue Jays could somehow pull it off too. 

We’ll just have to wait until at least after the ALCS to see who wins over Soto.