Inside The Pinstripes

Insider Shockingly Lists Yankees Behind Two Teams in Juan Soto Sweepstakes

MLB insider Jon Heyman surprisingly lists the Yankees as the third team in the running in the Juan Soto sweepstakes.

Logan VanDine

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates in the dugout after scoring on an RBI single by designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (not pictured) in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates in the dugout after scoring on an RBI single by designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (not pictured) in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
In this story:

It's no secret that the New York Yankees would love to have Juan Soto back next season and for many years to come.

After trading for the star outfielder in December of 2023, the 26-year-old thrived in his first season in The Bronx as he batted .288/.419/.569 and slugged a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBI in 157 games in the regular season.

However, after he and his agent Scott Boras met with multiple teams over the course of the past week, one baseball insider does not see the Yankees as the front-runner to land Soto.

MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post spoke to Brandon London on Tuesday and made a surprising statement saying the Yankees are third in the running for the slugger.

"I'm gonna say right here that the Mets, followed by the Blue Jays.....would be my guess today," Heyman said.

This comes as a bit of a shock from Heyman after many thought that both New York teams were the two clear favorites to sign Soto given they have the ability to make the highest offer.

Instead, Heyman listed the Yankees' AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays as the second team in the running behind the Mets.

The Blue Jays are coming off a disappointing year in 2024 as they finished in last-place in the AL East, winning just 74 games. After losing out on Shohei Ohtani last offseason, they are now searching for another big bat this winter who is also expected to draw a historic contract.

It has always been hard to envision Soto leaving the Yankees after he sent the Bronx Bombers to their first World Series since 2009 after hitting a go-ahead three-run homer in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians. However, it now sounds like both the Mets and Blue Jays may have a leg up in the race.

Published
Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work on Yankees and Mets On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports.

Home/News