Inside The Pinstripes

Insider Reveals AL Team 'Could Pay Spoiler' in Yankees' Pursuit of Juan Soto

The New York Yankees have to be worried about one AL team swooping in and signing Juan Soto this offseason.

Grant Young

Aug 4, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) double during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Aug 4, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) double during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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It's no secret that the New York Yankees' AL East rival Toronto Blue Jays are interested in acquiring Juan Soto this offseason.

This was made apparent when one of Soto's (anonymous) friends told Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com in an October 9 article to, "Look for the Blue Jays to make an astronomical offer."

Toronto's seeming willingness to spend as much as it will take to sign Soto is a primary reason why the New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote a November 11 article that was titled, "Blue Jays could play spoiler in Yankees-Mets Juan Soto sweepstakes".

"The field of suitors for megastar free agent Juan Soto is said to have narrowed to eight finalists — including the Mets and Yankees, of course. But there’s one club in particular our two teams need to keep an eye on," Heyman wrote.  

"The six teams known to remain in the mix are big-market clubs that could swing what surely will be a record-setting deal, at least for total value. But the biggest threat to take Soto out of New York and away from the Mets and incumbent Yankees just might be the deep-pocketed Toronto Blue Jays. 

"The Jays are viewed by industry sources as a viable obstacle to the favored Yankees and Mets, thanks to a well-heeled ownership and strong incentive to improve coming off the abject disappointment of 2024," he continued.

"They’ve had difficulty luring superstars, presumably due to geography and finances (high taxes and the Canadian dollar complicate things). But word is they are highly motivated and sources suggest they plan to be in big."

It's hard to imagine that even with the addition of Soto, the Blue Jays would become immediate World Series contenders next season.

But that doesn't mean Yankees fans would be okay with him jumping ship to another AL East squad.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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