Scott Boras: Juan Soto has 'begun the process of eliminating teams'

Gary Phillips, New York Daily News on Dec 3, 2024

Published in Baseball

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NEW YORK — Juan Soto is starting to narrow his options.

Scott Boras made that known on Tuesday, stating that the superstar free agent has begun to rule out interested teams. While the agent didn’t specify who is out of the running, the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers are the teams publicly known to be the most serious about Soto.

“We’ve had meetings with a number of franchises,” Boras told reporters at Dodger Stadium. “He’s begun the process of eliminating teams and doing things. Juan is a very methodical thinker, so we’ll see, but I don’t think anything is imminent in the near future.”

Boras was at Dodger Stadium to attend an introductory press conference for another client, new Dodgers starter Blake Snell. His Soto update also came with the Winter Meetings set to begin in Dallas on Monday. The expectation is that Soto will make his final decision by the end of the meetings, if not sooner.

Soto, 26, is going to sign a deal that will extend beyond a decade and cost well over half-a-billion dollars. According to The Athletic, all remaining suitors have already made offers over $600 million.

With Boras previously scoffing at the idea of deferrals, Soto’s deal will likely break Shohei Ohtani’s record for present day value. The two-way Japanese star signed a heavily deferred, 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason. That pact was valued at $460 million for competitive balance tax purposes, while the players’ union valued it at $438 million.

Soto and Boras are also gunning for the top average annual salary. That also belongs to Ohtani, who is making $46.08 million per year for CBT calculations.

While some have seen the Mets as favorites for Soto because of Steve Cohen’s deep pockets — The Athletic reported that there’s an industry belief the owner will top any bid — the Red Sox have also emerged as a threat. The Jays and Dodgers are viewed as less likely, but Toronto played in Ohtani’s sandbox last winter and Los Angeles has no shortage of money and star power.

The Yankees, meanwhile, have made retaining Soto a priority as fans demand his return.

“I’ve got ears,” Hal Steinbrenner said at MLB’s Owners Meetings last month. “I know what’s expected of me.”

Steinbrenner said that after he, Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone, Randy Levine and Omar Minaya met with Soto and Boras for a few hours in Southern California on Nov. 18. Steinbrenner called that a “good” and “very honest” visit.

Soto enjoyed the best season of his career while playing in the Bronx in 2024, slashing .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs, 109 RBI, a 180 wRC+ and an 8.1 fWAR while batting in front of Aaron Judge, the American League MVP. The slugger, who finished third in MVP voting, went on to hit .327/.469/.633 with four home runs and nine RBI in the postseason.

In addition to a phenomenal year that ended with a World Series loss to the Dodgers, Soto also handled the New York spotlight well, fit into the Yankees’ clubhouse and bonded with the club’s passionate fans. By all accounts, he seemed to genuinely enjoy his time in pinstripes, though that doesn’t guarantee he’ll wear the Yankees’ uniform again.

“It’s been a blast for me,” Soto said after the Fall Classic. “I’ve been really happy. Definitely if I’m here or not, I’ll be really happy for the teammates that I have and the people that I got to know in here. This was a really special group.”

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