Juan Soto (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
If money is the deciding factor in Juan Soto’s free agency decision, then it sounds like he’ll be leaving the Big Apple for a rival team for the next chapter of his career.

Juan Soto is one of the most sought-after free agents in the history of Major League Baseball, with the expectation being that he’ll land a deal worth $550 million or more. Some experts and insiders even project that he’ll get $650 million-plus on his next deal.

It was previously reported that the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays were the five finalists for Soto. The general consensus is that the Mets are the favorites to land him.

According to a new report from Andy Martino of SNY, the belief is that the Blue Jays will offer Juan Soto the most money in free agency. The Jays were the runner-ups in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes last year, losing out to the Los Angeles Dodgers:

“It’s no secret that the Yanks and Mets are “all in” on Soto, as one league source reiterates, and that there is a widespread belief among bidders that Toronto will come in with the highest offer.

There is also widespread skepticism that Soto would go to the Blue Jays — but a source pushed back on that, saying that if a team is involved in the final bidding, Soto is willing to play there. That tracks with the above point that Team Soto has no need to inflate the perception of his market by adding teams that aren’t legitimately in it.”

That said, Martino emphasized that it’s truly unknown where exactly Soto stands. One source told Martino, “I don’t think anyone knows where Juan wants to play except for Juan and (agent Scott) Boras, and maybe Juan’s family.”

The four-time All-Star is coming off another MVP-caliber season in which he hit .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBI. Though he had a rough season in the outfield, Soto has a reputation as one of the best defensive right fielders in baseball.

Landing Juan Soto Would Make Blue Jays World Series Contenders

The Blue Jays are coming off a disappointing season that saw them finish dead-last in the AL East with a 74-88 record. The lack of offense behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a key reason why, but a player like Soto would instantly turn Toronto into a World Series contender.

The Yankees went from missing the playoffs in 2023 to reaching the World Series in 2024, in case you need an idea of the impact Soto can single-handedly make.