Report: Red Sox, Mets, Blue Jays offer Soto upward of $600M
The bidding war for Juan Soto in free agency is ramping up.
The Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays made offers north of $600 million to Soto, while the New York Yankees are in the $550-million range, a source told Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media.
Soto, 26, is reportedly looking for a higher contract than the 10-year, $700-million pact three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason.
The four-time All-Star would like a deal without deferrals, a source told Miller. In comparison, Ohtani deferred $680 million of his record-setting contract.
Soto is expected to exceed Ohtani's $46-million average annual value, a source told Jack Curry of YES Network.
There's reportedly a widespread belief among bidders that the Blue Jays will come in with the highest offer.
The 2024 AL MVP finalist will likely make a decision on where he wants to play in the next 10 days, sources told MLB Network's Jon Morosi. The winter meetings - the site of many big free-agent splashes over the years - start next Monday.
Soto recorded a career-high 41 homers with 109 RBIs and a .989 OPS over 157 games last season. He also slashed .327/.469/.633 with four long balls and nine RBIs in the playoffs, helping the Yankees reach the World Series for the first time in 15 years.