Yankees' Rival Revealed as Surprise Mystery Team in Juan Soto Sweepstakes

One of the New York Yankees' AL East rivals has been revealed as a surprise mystery team in the sweepstakes for Juan Soto.

Oct 29, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) doubles during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

A surprising new team has entered the chat in the pursuit of superstar outfielder Juan Soto.

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Tampa Bay Rays are the seventh known suitor to express interest in Soto.

Per Heyman, the Rays appear to be seventh in the running for Soto behind these six big market, large payroll clubs: New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants. There are also four other "mystery teams" involved as well, as Heyman reported.

"For now, Tampa has to be viewed as a distant seventh on the list, as it’s hard to imagine them competing with the biggest markets in baseball, starting with both New York teams but not nearly ending there," Heyman wrote.

While the Rays aren't considered to be serious contenders to land Soto, they did make a 10-year, $300 million offer to Aaron Judge back in the 2022-2023 offseason, as the superstar told Kristie Ackert of The Tampa Bay Times last summer.

Judge ultimately re-signed with the Yankees for nine-years, $360 million, but the Rays made a respectable offer in the process.

Could Tampa do the same with Soto? That seems unlikely given Soto appears destined to land either the richest contract in baseball history or second highest mark. Soto is rumored to be seeking a $700 million deal, but could wind up in the $600-650 million range.

For now, the Soto sweepstakes looks to be a two-team race between the Yankees and Mets. The Bronx Bombers would love to bring Soto back after he helped them reach the World Series for the first time since 2009. But the Mets have deep pocketed owner Steve Cohen who is trying to build a sustainable winner.

Soto, who just turned 26-years-old, is the type of player that any organization can build around for the future. The young star is on a Hall of Fame track and is likely to draw a historic deal this offseason with several teams vying for his services.