MLB Rumors: Cubs-Juan Soto denial, Braves target setback, Vladdy's expectations

The MLB season is slowly coming to a close. Even though the trade deadline and most of the midseason drama has come and passed, there are still a ton of different topics to talk about.

During the season, we could see players land on waivers and end up with a new team in the midst of a postseason push. Players like Kevin Pillar are among those that have been rumored to be waiver candidates.

Beyond that, there's a few superstar players who will be looking for new contracts this offseason. Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are among the best players that will negotiate with their teams this offseason, with Soto entering the open market.

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MLB Rumors: Cubs unlikely to land superstar Juan Soto

The biggest storyline in the sport of baseball over the next few months will be the Juan Soto sweepstakes. Soto is set to enter unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career after declining multiple contract extensions with each of the teams that he's been on.

Ryan Dempster recently touched on the upcoming Soto sweepstakes, discussing the Chicago Cubs as a potential suitor for Soto. While Chicago could be a fit, there are likely just bigger spenders that are going to be willing to offer Soto more money.

Soto is expected to be offered contracts north of $550 million in total value. His deal should make him the highest-paid player in baseball history, besides Shohei Ohtani's unicorn contract.

The rumors now are indicating that it should be a two team race for Soto between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. This adds up, as both of these teams will likely offer Soto contracts that close in on $600 million.

As of now, the Yankees should be seen as the favorites to sign Soto, but we will only be sure when he signs his name on the dotted line. Either way, the Cubs shouldn't be viewed as the most likely landing place because it's not very likely that they offer over $550 million.

MLB Rumors: Potential Braves target Kevin Pillar lands on IL

The Atlanta Braves have been directly connected to outfielder Kevin Pillar for the last year. Pillar was vocal about his desire to return to the Braves, but admitted that Atlanta just didn't have a spot on the roster for him anymore.

As the Braves season began and injuries began to pile up, many speculated that Atlanta could be in the market to make a trade for Pillar. Ultimately, the Los Angeles Angels made the questionable decision to hold onto Pillar and a few other expiring players.

Pillar has also mentioned that he plans on retiring at the end of the season, so there have been more rumors that the Angels would place him on waivers in order to give him a chance to compete for a World Series.

Those rumors will come to a half right now though, as the Braves potential waiver target has landed on the injured list with a left thumb sprain.

There's still a chance that Pillar and the Braves could pair up again towards the tail end of the season, but Atlanta would need Pillar to recover and return quickly. Los Angeles would also need to waive him or designate him for assignment soon after that.

MLB Rumors: MLB insider compared potential Vladdy deal to Rafael Devers' contract

If the Juan Soto sweepstakes is the top storyline for the offseason, which it undoubtably is, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s contract extension will be on the next highest tier of story lines. This saga has been in the headlines, off and on, for the entire season. At one point, some MLB insiders even anticipated that the Toronto Blue Jays could look to trade Guerrero if they couldn't come to a contract extension.

Andrew Peters of Bleacher Report recently discussed Guerrero and his contract, mentioning MLB insider Jon Heyman in his discussion.

"Heyman compared Guerrero's potential deal this offseason to Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers' 10-year, $313.5 million deal he signed last summer. Devers had 33 home runs, 100 RBI and a .271 batting average in 2023 when he was awarded the lucrative deal."

This comparison fits pretty well, honestly. Guerrero is a bit more valuable as a hitter though. He could be given about $5 million to $8 million more AAV on his contract than what Devers got. His contract could be something in the 10 year, $370 million range and the Blue Jays would likely be perfectly okay with that, given the fact that they would retain him for a decade.