The off-season this year is all about Juan Soto. The 26-year-old is turning heads with the massive projected price tag that he comes with. The Dominican, although, deserves it all and more, given he carried the New York Yankees forward to the World Series along with Giancarlo Stanton. Jon Heyman from New York Post highlighted that the whisper number in his contract is about $600 million!

This number is huge and it could be the second-largest contract in MLB – first is Ohtani’s whooping $700 million deal. While the New York Yankees and the Mets were already interested in Juan Soto, now, even the Dodgers and Blue Jays are surprising new entries to the run. In total, there seem to be seven teams who are interested in clinching the player. But where Soto ends up will be more of a marathon than a sprint, according to Scott Boras.

Juan Soto going to opt for a patient decision, says Boras

Boras has been rather tight-lipped about his client Juan Soto and his free agency. However, he did mention some clues recently on what Soto wants. The first is that Juan Soto is interested in going to a winning team. Secondly, Boras indicated that Soto will take his own sweet time doing a thorough vetting of the free-agent market before making a decision. “Due to the volume of interest and Juan’s desire to hear, I can’t put a timeframe on it, but it’s going to be a very thorough process for him. He wants to meet people personally. He wants to talk with them. He wants to hear from them,” said Scott Boras.

This, however, is not unusual for Boras clients, who seem to wait to get the best deal. The most popular case was in 2019 when Bryce Harper waited till the end of February to sign the deal with the Phillies. Soto might do the same this year. Scott Boras also mentioned that Juan Soto wants an ownership that is willing to support and going to win annually. So, owners of the teams might want to sit with Soto and discuss the long-term goals. Right now, Juan is a gem in the market; he is a four-time all-star at just 26 years old and has a long career staring down at him, expecting at least $600 million for 10 years in his contract.

The Yankees have a surprising but strong contender for Juan Soto

The New York Yankees are in complete darkness about whether Juan Soto will be back or not. Brian Cashman affirmed they would get a feel of the market and get back to the owner, Steinbrenner, to discuss the offer. Only then, he will proceed to talk with Juan Soto, which is in line with what Scott Boras noted the star of the off-season wants. However, the Yankees might have to loosen their pockets if they want to snag Soto, especially given the Blue Jays are right behind!

Remember the Blue Jays offering the same $700 million 10-year deal to Ohtani last year? The same team is now rumored to offer big money to Juan Soto. NJ Advance Media reported just last month that they were willing to make an astronomical offer to Juan Soto. As per insider Hector Gomez, Soto is willing to become the most highly-paid baseball star. However, Soto is also looking for a winning team, so, the big question mark is—will he choose the Jays, who went from being an 89-win playoff team in 2023 to a sad 74-win, last-place finish in 2024?

What do you think, will Juan Soto stay with the Yankees, or opt for another opportunity? Let us know your thoughts below.