Yankees Top Rival Among Top Landing Spots For Juan Soto, Per Insider

New York will have to hand out a historic contract to keep Soto

Aug 25, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielders Alex Verdugo (24), Aaron Judge (99), and Juan Soto (22) celebrate after defeating the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Will the New York Yankees lose one of their biggest stars to a rival this winter?

New York's biggest question mark heading into the winter certainly is the future of superstar slugger Juan Soto. He is a generational talent and is one of the biggest reasons why the Yankees have a chance to do something special this season and win their first World Series since 2009.

Once the season ends, though, Soto's future will be the team's biggest priority. New York likely will hand him a historic contract offer, but other teams will be in the mix as well. ESPN's Jeff Passan even mentioned the Boston Red Sox as a team that can afford Soto, although they are "long shots."

"Now, doing so with the aid of logic and history helps increase the likelihood that such speculation proves correct," Passan said. "And it's with that knowledge -- the recognition that age, as much as skill, drives baseball free agency, and Soto's combination of both is singular -- the industry agrees the floor for his contract will be $500 million.

"It will go higher, though, and when it does, that number will frighten away a vast majority of teams. Some of them could afford it; many will choose not to. This is the history of free agency. There are ultimately at most a handful of spenders for the biggest free agents. In Soto's case, the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and both Los Angeles teams could likely afford him but are long shots to make a real push. Seattle could use him but will be scared off by the money."

If the Yankees were to lose Soto to the Red Sox, that would be devastating. Hopefully, that doesn't end up being the case.

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