Yankees' Juan Soto 'Right There in Front of' NL Team in Free Agency

One National League team would seem to have a direct line at acquiring Juan Soto this winter.

Sep 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) singles against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are one of many teams who are expected to bid big on Juan Soto this offseason.

While the New York Post's Jon Heyman listed six big-market teams — the Yankees, the Mets, the Dodgers, the Red Sox, the Blue Jays, and the Giants — that will likely aggressively pursue Soto this winter, he also conveyed that other teams could make a play for him as well.

And in a November 13 article, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer called the Chicago Cubs one such team that could make major waves in the Soto sweepstakes.

"Exactly how involved they were was always a question, but the Cubs certainly weren't out on Shohei Ohtani last winter," Rymer wrote.

"If that can be taken as a sign that the franchise has an appetite for a huge splash, well, Soto is right there in front of you now, guys.

"He's precisely the big bopper the Cubs need in their lineup, which got 20-plus homers from three different guys, yet only 170 overall in 2024. That was as many as the Royals, whose home stadium is the size of a national park," he continued.

Juan Soto has walked at least 129 times in 4 consecutive seasons. Barry Bonds is the only other MLB player ever to do that. pic.twitter.com/RpbwuFZnJi

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) November 11, 2024

"Besides, the Cubs should be able to afford Soto," Rymer added. "Even setting aside how frugal they look according to Travis Sawchik of The Score's 'Scrooge Index,' their projected 2025 payroll is about $45 million below what they spent in 2024."

Despite these compelling reasons why Chicago should try and sign Soto, Rymer also conveyed why they likely won't.

"Avert your eyes, Cubs fans. You won't want to read this report from Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic:

"The Cubs do not intend to deviate from this course, multiple sources told The Athletic, ruling out a pursuit of Juan Soto or Corbin Burnes even before all the baseball executives and agents checked out of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa.

"Cheapness is a hell of a drug, folks, but it should be no surprise that Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is all about it," he wrote.

Therefore, while Soto is "right there in front of" the Cubs this winter, Yankees fans probably don't need to worry about their 26-year-old superstar ending up in Chicago.