San Francisco Giants Expected to Make Financial Decisions Which Could Impact Juan Soto Sweepstakes

The Giants have been thought to be major players for the superstar outfielder, but they could decide to tighten the purse strings.

New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) on third base during the first inning in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium on Oct 29. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants might be out of the Juan Soto sweepstakes before they even really get going, according to reports.

Per Andrew Baggerly of The Athletic, the Giants plan to reduce their spending this offseason after going all-in on Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, Jorge Soler and Jung Ho Lee a year ago.

The Giants’ first offseason under Posey is expected to be marked by austerity measures, according to a league source familiar with the team’s plans. The Giants’ adjusted payroll, which accounts for salary that is earned in a given year but not necessarily paid out, is expected to step back from the $206 million they spent last season, when they finished 80-82 while exceeding the luxury tax threshold for the first time since 2018.

Baggerly still notes that the Giants figure to have $30-40 million to spend, but that will not be enough to add even Soto, nevertheless fill out a competitive roster for a team that went 80-82 a season ago.

If the Giants are truly going to be out of the Soto saga, that's a deviation from recent years. They went all-in on efforts to land Aaron Judge a few years ago and they made a big offer to Shohei Ohtani last offseason as well.

Soto figures to command a deal of between $600-700 million this offseason. If he gets there, he'll certainly be in the $40-50 million per year range, blowing past the Giants spending limits.

Soto hit .288 this year with 41 homers and 109 RBI for the Yankees as they got to the World Series.

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