After reports emerged last night that bidding for the services for free agent superstar Juan Soto could reach beyond the $700MM threshold, that possibility appears to have now come to pass. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported this evening that both the Yankees and Mets have recently pushed their offers to the $710-730MM range as the slugger’s free agency nears its conclusion. Heyman suggests that while it’s “believed” that the Mets have placed the higher bid of the two New York clubs, the deals appear to be within the same range. He goes on to add that there’s been no indication of the Red Sox, Blue Jays, or Dodgers being eliminated from the Soto sweepstakes to this point despite the record-setting offers from both New York clubs.
The 26-year-old phenom has long been expected to easily beat the record for net present value Shohei Ohtani’s megadeal with the Dodgers set last winter, which is estimated to be in the range of $461MM after accounting for the pact’s heavy deferrals. That said, it’s still somewhat shocking that the bidding for Soto has soared high enough that beating the $700MM guarantee Ohtani received last winter before factoring in deferred money is on the table. It’s possible that Soto’s deal could include some deferred money of its own, of course, but even with that possibility in mind it seems increasingly likely that he’ll shatter not only expectations entering the offseason but all previous precedents for guaranteed and annual money for MLB contracts.
Soto is in position to shatter records for a reason, of course. The youngster is particularly attractive to clubs given the fact that he’s marketing his age-26 season in free agency this winter. That extreme youth is uncommon in free agency, especially for top talent, and it allowed right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto to secure a record-breaking deal for starting pitchers last winter despite having never thrown a single pitch in MLB. By contrast, Soto is a four-time All Star and two-time MVP finalist who has never been less than 43% better than league average at the plate by measure of wRC+ during his career to this point. Soto’s combination of youth and track record hasn’t been seen in the majors since Alex Rodriguez’s free agency more than two decades ago, and in that time teams have only grown to value youth even more highly.
Per Heyman’s report, all five known finalists for Soto’s services remain in the mix to land the superstar, who is generally expected to make his decision within the next day or two. Heyman suggests that the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Blue Jays have all offered Soto at least $600MM, with the Dodgers’ offer coming in as the lowest of the five by a substantial amount. Beyond that, though, Heyman notes that the other four clubs have made offers that are “believed” to be relatively close to each other, and it’s unclear which of those four clubs has made the highest bid to this point. What’s more, Heyman suggests that Soto won’t necessarily choose the highest bidder, though it’s unclear what might motivate Soto to take a lesser offer. The Mets and Yankees have generally been viewed as the favorites to land Soto by the industry throughout his free agency, but whether that perception aligns with his actual preferences remains a mystery. The Red Sox, for their part, reportedly pushed for an additional meeting with Soto’s camp earlier this week, though it’s unclear if that request was or will be granted before the star makes his decision.
That much money would yield better returns spread out over multiple players IMHO
We all saw it coming, but this is ridiculous. 700+ for an excellent one-way player.
I’m a huge Yankees fan, Soto is not worth that much. Contracts are getting way too crazy.
Steinbrenner will charge the exact same amount for bottled water and chicken buckets whether he signs Soto or not. Give the kid whatever he wants. They need his bat.
Yank – they need his huge pay check on the books too.
@yanksfan2010
I don’t doubt that he is an alien in terms of talent, consistency and youth but holy smokes that’s a lot of money.
They have to land Soto or else they will go into a rebuild and start over. Roster too old. Well more like a reset. Yankee farm is decimated. Toronto will have to do the same thing. Their farm is cheap manure. And we may even see it from the Astros if they don’t sign Bregman. Astros farm pretty barren.
One player, Bregman, isn’t going to help Houston’s farm system, if they sign him. Letting him go, otoh, gets them the extra pick.
Yeah I just meant in general, if Bregman goes, do the Astros also look at Tucker & Valdez each with one year left before free agency and decide perhaps to ship them off for prospects to repopulate the farm and take a reset year.
Takeit up with the politicians and the idiots that vote for them, thats why it is the way it is
lol he’s so overrated
The Yankees hadn’t won a pennant in 15 years until he got to the Bronx. In one season they made it to the World Series. Yeah, he’s overrated.
Damn Y – So the Yankees made it to the World Series in a very down year for the American League. The Yankees were so flawed that they really had no chance to win. If they sign Soto they still will be deeply flawed. I hope the Yankees do sign him…..
Albeit contracts are getting out control as of late, calling a 8.0 war player overrated may be a stretch.
Yeah i dont think he’s overrated but hes had one 8 war season. Good for him it was his walk year
Inflation inflation inflation. Wake up folks, gov is destroying your fiat notes
Boras co-wrote heyman’s column
As a Yankees fan, the Mets can have her for that price!
Typo, relax!
Lazy humor? Why don’t you entertain us then with your well-thought-out humor since your demographic apparently controls what’s allowed to be funny and what isn’t?
Looks like someone lost their joy. But it’s okay. You fought really hard, right? Do you feel unburdened by what has been yet?
So one doctor told their mom they can get an abortion and another doctor said they can’t?
Cllrogers mom: what do you mean I can get an abortion?!
And the mom doesn’t want to put with a child but puts up with a child for over 2 years before seeing a doctor?
Major joke plot holes
So you match a perceived misogynistic joke with a semi gay joke. Nice
Why does Soto need to whisper sweet nothings into a random dudes ear?
This has boras greed written all over it
He has created the most insane bidding war in sports history
johncoltrane: What you call greed is what others call being the best and most successful agent in the business.
i dont work in the sports world, but i do work in the entertainment business and have had a lot of experience with agents (who rep actors, filmmakers, writers). agents are the worst human beings on earth. they have no souls, no hearts, no respect, no shame. you have absolutely no idea how ruthless agents are. i dont know why i’m explaining myself to you. boras disgusts me.
To the best of my knowledge, an agent’s job is to get the best financial deal for his client, and not much else. As Irving Azoff once said, “If you see an agent that has too many friends in this business, I’ll show you an agent that’s sold out his clients and has done a crappy job.” At the Eagles RRHOF induction, Don Henley said about Azoff after thanking him, “As I’ve said before, he may be Satan, but he’s our Satan”. Azoff was very pleased about that, and took it as a job well done.
johncoltrane: If he disgusts you, he probably disgusts others, and that means he’s excellent at his job, which is to advocate for and enrich his clients.
His job is not to please people like you and make friends.
@john So every single agent you’ve ever met is like that ?? You’ve never met any decent agents? Dang. Guess I’m not going to Holywood. End up in a bad situation on a casting couch.
Is their a Scott Boras equivalent for NFL players? Or does he rep them too? Anybody know offhand?
John, then you don’t actually work in the entertainment industry. Good agents and agencies are the heart blood of the industry. They make sure the product, the creative talent are fairly compensated. They do far more than just negotiate contracts. They also act as mentor, teacher, and often accountant. In Boras’ case he has teams of people whose job it is to protect and enhance the health, wealth and skills of the players that sign with his agency.
Boras is the best in baseball for a reason and that reason is both teams and players trust him. If you hate him that says a bunch about you and absolutely nothing about him.
Does that mean there are not unscrupulous agents? Of course not. There are slimes in every business endeavor. Boras is not one of them or he would not be so successful. Successful agents in baseball have to bridge the gap between both players and teams in a very public arena. They have to be trustworthy.
Boras only reps baseball players.
Boras is their scape goat because they dont understand the value of dollars is diving
That’s a lot of money to pay a 30 year old future DH.
Except that he’s 26 years old
Sure Jan
Is he alleged to be older? I wouldn’t be surprised…
There have been rumors since he entered the league as a “19 year old”
He certainly looks a little older than mid twenties
This is going to be the albatross of albatrosses.
Possibly. Even with inflation what’s he going to have to produce to be ‘worth it’? 50 WAR? 60?
He’s too limited and has old players’ skills. He won’t reach the latter. He may well have just had his best season until he retires. 40 WAR for the rest of his career wouldn’t surprise me. Consider, though, the playoff revenues he’ll help produce over the next five years.
@Jack
You really think he had his best season at age 25? Really?.
Any long term deal is going to come with some let down towards the end. that’s a given whether you’re Babe Ruth or whomever. You think the Yanks card about that while they enjoyed 10 years of historic performance? And no I’m not comparing the two directly altho Ruth had similar limitations.
@AM21
Judge is 3 years into his new deal with 7 years left at age 33 getting $40 mil more. a at least your getting more prime years for Soto. Judge deal will end at age 40. Soto’s likely will too.
@ knicksfan
He thinks he just had his best season at age 30, and that he is not 26. So a 14 yr contract would take him to what he says is his age 40 season, but is really age 44.
That him!
Two desperate teams
Not worth it.
Contracts continue to inflate every year. I don’t know if this will be an albatross, but it’s frightening how expensive players are these days.
I don’t think Soto is boring. His at bat in the ALCS pretty much went viral and is now part of pop culture. He’s extremely marketable, young and an excellent bat, but he cannot field at all.
Yeah. I can’t agree with this one. I’m a huge Harper fan, but I don’t see why Soto couldn’t be as marketable as him, particularly with huge Latin American fanbases in NY.
I think Soto has marketability since he will become like the #1 player in Latin America (granted that’s not Japan)
I don’t watch hockey but I know who mark messier is when I see him in an ad, I don’t watch soccer but I know who Messi is
You’re right…it’s just you
I find most mlb players boring. Ohtani is his own tier. Then Harper Judge. Soto bout as good as anyone else. Won world series so young. 2 blockbuster trade watches. Oh and played in world series with Yankees. Big media moments so big known name. If the same things happened to other people say witt lindor they would be even more marketable.
People like harper, even those who dont. No kne really likes soto bc he hasnt grown up yet
“Most great players are hispanic”? Eh that seems unlikely
Personally ohtani seems like a cartoon simpleton with main character syndrome. He nauseates me almost as much as soto acting like a grade A prck
It sounds like a you problem. You just seem like you hate fun.
It just is what it is. It took a long time to generally top A-Rod’s deal and then the leap frogging truly exploded.
Oooooo a Pissing Contest….Marvelous
Will the winner win or lose by winning?
Great question that will be answered in future history.
I would take both Machado and Harper before paying this Savannah Banana wanna be dancing after called ball any day
Harper’s contract is an absolute steal in retrospect.
It really isn’t. 23.3 bWAR in the prime 6 years of the deal is nothing special. If he puts up half that figure over the last 7 years of the deal it should surprise no one–that’s 4-5 years of competent production from a regular. In the overall that’s nothing special, around $9m per FA win when 2/3 of the wins are cheaper than today.
23.3bwar for less than 30 a year AAV is absolutely a steal in today’s market.
That Harper contract may turn out to be the best long term contract ever signed by a team.
Ohtani signed the most team-friendly long term contract in sports history
It’s interesting to characterize the richest contract in the history of the game both in terms of AAV and overall value as team friendly.
Huh? He deferred over half his contract til after he’s playing. In present day value, it’s only a 10 year, about $460M deal. He’s only making $2M for the next nine years, which allows the Dodgers to do whatever they want.
pivotal180.com/what-ohtanis-contract-can-teach-us-….
They are still putting aside over $40 million per year to cover those later $68 million per year payments.
CardsFan57, yes, you have to put any player’s entire salary into an escrow account when it’s officially signed.
When taking into account the time value of money and the dollar amount deferred by Ohtani, the present value of his contract is approximately $460 m, which is significantly less than the “richest” contract in history. That $700 m is almost like a fake number, just for headlines.
Or I think only the present day value needs to be in escrow. Either way, it’s off set by paying him only $2 million for the next nine years.
@fred-3 “yes, you have to put any player’s entire salary into an escrow account when it’s officially signed.”
—————————————————————-
No, you really don’t.
@fred
That’s not how it works. For salary call purposes he’s costing I think $46 mil per.
@Fred
I think, even after adjustments, $460 is still the largest contract?. Who’s earning more right now?
Not almost, it is a number used by media to attract clicks.
Scherzer and not even close.
Stupid is that stupid does…
stupid is AS stupid does
I call bulls***
I’m very comfortable at 14/$50 mil.
Yanks have $81 mil coming off the books, including repurposing the $31 mil he made last year.
$81 mil
-$50 for Soto
-$30 for Reid
Target 1b Carlos Santana for a short-term 1/$12 (he made like $6 mil last year) whey another option and $3 mil buyout making it $15 mil guarantee.
Target a trade for 3b Bohm or roll the dice with Durbin at 2b and Jazz at 3b.
Rotation of Cole/Freid/Rondon/Gil/Cortez and use Schmidt as the 6th guy/ multiple innings relief guy. Dump Stroman for whatever.
Jazz
Durbin
Soto
Judge
Dominguez
Stanton
Santana
Wells
Volpe
Yanks might decide to just blow up the payroll for a two year hit and maybe go for Belli at 1b and maybe Brohm at 3b with Durbin and Rice waiting in AAA.
KnicksFanCavsFan: Who’s Reid?
I’m pretty sure he meant Fried
I predicted 14/714 almost 2 weeks ago on this site. Highly front loaded, with 4 opt out choices and only 151M in deferrals.
Yesterday the media was screaming 600+, today they are screaming 700+. Lolol
The bidding war is real, but highly doubt any of these deals will come without heavy deferred money.
Tyler O’Neil – .241 31 dongs – 49 million
Juan Soto – .288 41 dongs – 700 million
If I’m Cashman, I say no thank you and spread that money out to fill many holes. Unless they’re trading Judge which I don’t see happening
Now do OPS
Not the point. It’s called value for the dollar.
Tyler oneil lol. Cant imagine why the yankees arent paying u the big bucks
Not the point that Soto has one of the highest OPS in the history of baseball? And that Tyler O’Neill is just above a replacement level player?
Lol
Well, OPS+. Or WRc+. Or WAR.
I get the feeling YP42 thinks Pete Alonso belongs in the Hall of Fame.
@Yanks
erase this please. yikes
To the 12 year old morons on here mocking my post. I’ve forgotten more about baseball than you’ll even know as I actually played at a high level. You also clearly missed the point. Yankees have SEVERAL holes to fill and Hank already said he doesn’t want a 300m payroll. This isn’t the NBA where you get “3 stars” and then win a title. You need DEPTH in the lineup and a deep starting staff. Soto is the best lefty hitter in MLB not named Ohtani and a far better player than O’Neil…..but 700 mil is ridiculous…..especially when you look at the VALUE of O’Neil’s deal at just 49mil.. It’s a factor when you’re filling many holes on a said budget…..which isn’t controversial, it’s common sense.
If we get Soto, are we done with big ticket items? If so, no thank you!
So who’s gonna be the first MLB player to get a billion dollar contract?
He isn’t born yet
Born in 2010
Probably 900 million deferred.
Just wait till the next round of QE itll blow your minds
Insane, what would bonds have gotten after the pirates, 15 years 1.5 billion?
… and a plane is on its way to Toronto.
so who will be the 1st player to sign a contract worth 1 billion dollars
So this pretty much means the Dodgers are signing him
Exactly
Deferred money. He’ll be getting 1 million for the next 750 years.
Don’t be so sure, the Red Sox are still firmly in this, according to the Red Sox. Sources say Henry is really going all in and is willing to up his offer to $145 million, just waiting for a call back to confirm some of the smaller details.
Gee, did you really expect any of these teams to say they are out of it?
Yikes! Is baseball ruined or is that only true when the Dodgers sign free agents?
It’s been bad but the dodgers just exacerbate it
Or, you could have bought the entire Royals organization not too long ago for the discount rate of $1B.
Wonder what team he will buy after he retires
Hey shapiro , time for plan B…bring back Vogelbach
Giddy up!
I don’t care about the money, WE’RE THE FN YANKEES (I mean, technically I’m not, but you get it)! TIME TO PLAY LIKE PAPA, HAL! Don’t you dare lose this guy to the Mets!
It is ok
i wouldn’t even give him half of that. Especially after just losing the world series with him.
He’s not worth it but he’s far from the reason they lost the series
The reason was Judge
His defense was a big reason they lost game one though.
Well, he’s not the reason they won, because they didn’t win!!!
What does winning or losing the World Series have to do with it?
Insane for a one dimensional player who’s probably older than his listed age,with questionable character (
Questionable character? In what way?
One dimensional lol no mention of it being the only predictable 50% of the game
Anyone see Jon heymans radio outburst last night? He is as unreliable as an insurance company
I still think Soto stays with the Yankees even if the Mets have the higher offer but if Steve cohen decides to do whatever it takes I could see a 750-800 million offer make Soto go to queens
He’s a hack
After Ohtani’s contract the cost to go to a Dodger game went as nutty as his contract… whatever team signs Soto will have the same repercussions and so as they say… this isn’t my money it will be with the raise in the cost of going.
Madness. Great player but the ripple effect on spending through the rest of the roster, the draft-pick penalties, etc…
These teams are dumber than rocks. Are they forgetting that all he does is hit??
Yeah, he’s one-dimensional like that bum Ted Williams.
Comparing Soto to arguably the greatest hitter of all time lol.
You missed the point entirely.
No. You were just trying to justify a terrible contract with an even more terrible comparison.
My post has nothing to do with the contract. The OP stated all Soto does is hit, which was all Williams did.
How good was Ted’s glove or base running? Ruth? When you hedge a bar that elite at age 26 you pay them. He’s an outlier. He’s an elite hitter that hit the market during his age 25 season. How many guys even have an OBP above .380 this year? maybe 10? in this day an age a. 350 OBP is considered above average. He is elite. Him, Judge, Ohtani and maybe Vlad.
How many Rings did Ted lead the Sox to? I forget…
Ted lost count after spitting at the fans.
What the heck is going on. Are you people out of your minds? “All he does is hit”? and its a problem? are we taking about the same sport? The one were ohtani just got the mvp over a great offensive season with elite defense at SS and he wasnt surrounded with freeman and betts in he lineup? And no one even questioned it?
Ohtani can pitch like an ace. His contract includes that. Yes. He has an excellent MVP season as a DH only, but if he never pitches again, that contract isn’t so great. He’s being paid as a two-way player.
Possibly, but not a guarantee
@jkoko AND that players with his skills age poorly?
The Yankees still dreaming to see Judge, Domínguez and Soto in the Bronx
Frankie Bani: Dominguez? He hasn’t done anything yet.
Soto is closing in on a prominent cabinet nomination at this rate.
I wonder how close he gets to a 800m guaranteed, and does he exceed 50m per? How much is deferred? Absolute insane but not all that surprising. My guess is if a player like A-Rod circa 2000-2001 offseason came available today would be significantly higher than what Soto is about to get, over a billion, maybe 1.1-1.2 billion guarantee.
If he gets 14 years which is what Tatis got. 50 million a season would put him at 700 million. I’m assuming he’s getting over 50 million regardless.
The other thing I think people should realize is that teams’ valuation of him are about equitable, and going up by $1M or $2M or $5M a year per new bid is nothing in and of itself and none of the teams genuinely in the running want to be “the cheap one” who under bids and thinks their best and final offer was “good enough” when fans know someone else will gladly blow that club out of the water- they don’t want to draw the line by by a year here, a couple million per season there.
He’s not the first guy to do this.
Plenty of players entered the off season with a market value of, say, 4 years/$50M and with so many clubs agreeing to that valuation, the top bid winds up at like 7 years/$105M or whatever.
Remember when Teixeira was expected to get like 5 years/$100M to 7 years/$140M and the winning bid was 8 years/$180M?
I think a similar thing happened with Beltran and Ohtani and many others.
That’s how that happens.
This time is no different, it’s just that the floor and ceiling are much much much higher.
Also when you factor inflation into it, $40m is the new $30m was the new $20M, etc.
Both NY MLB teams are run by rich sickos. We’ll show them.
What about the Dodgers, the Red Sox, Arizona with their deal for Greinke, etc?
I hope I am sensing your sarcasm, el biggest troll?
Mmkay. Just listing teams that spend at record breaking rates, plus Arizona with the Greinke deal.
Arizona is the point, though- it’s not just the Yankees and Mets driving up prices.
Besides- I wasn’t responding to you, originally.
Indianafan: Sickos? Who are you to judge?
Ohtani’s contract is looking like a bargain now.
Plus sincehe gambled on baseball they can terminate it whenever they like
Yanks have to pay whatever it takes. Imagine trading King and basically Cease for a one year rental? Would be a disaster. Soto has them bent over and he is going to squeeze them dry, no discounts. Boras masterclass.
Imagine signing Soto to a disastrous contract, which your analytics team warned you against, simply because you didn’t want people to say you traded for a one year rental. You did trade for a one year rental, though, as Soto would still be on the market if you hadn’t done that deal.
Dodgers committed 700M for Shohei and in his first year he generated over 100M in revenue for the Dodgers.
I cant see Dominicans shelling out $120 for Soto jerseys the way Japan does for Shohei. Soto is a great hitter, but pretty meh in all other aspects of the game. Paying him Ohtani money sounds like a recipe for disappointment. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong, but I’d rather lock up Burnes and Buehler and a couple more solid players for a lot less.
What does Soto’s Dominican heritage have to do with it? The future of MLB is worldwide TV and marketing. Soto is not boring and has the type of swagger many fans enjoy. Over time, his contract will pay for itself.
The moment he signs, his contract will overshadow anything he does on the field.
I disagree. The moment the season starts, baseball fans will primarily be concerned with the product on the field. That’s why we’re baseball fans: because we enjoy watching the game of Major League Baseball.
Do you have any evidence of that $100 million claim? Just say no, because there is none.
@empirejim Now you’re talking $80-85m a year to get those four players. Are you going to keep churning them for the next 14 years and end up spending $1.2 billion vs. 750m for Soto?
Key for Yanks is to not stop with Soto. Hopefully they budgeted 50MM for him and sign a Co-Ace and obtain a 1B
They didn’t. They won’t.
this is like watching 2 contestants bid while on “Name That Tune” and the winner has to name the tune in zero notes.
love it.
Why would this maroon want a 10+ year deal? Did he learn NOTHING from the deals signed by Machado and Harper? Four years and he will be complaining about needing his deal re-worked. because he’s going to feel underpaid.
If it’s true this will go down as the worst signing in the history of baseball.
Okay Boston… you did your job… Now please get the other 2-3 FA on the line and sign them with the money saved HERE!!!!
Go Hal GO!
Boras’ revenge part 2.
Let’s get creative Yanks. 15/$650 with a $100 mil signing bonus paid out the first year of the contract.
$750 total. $150 million in first year then $43 mil x 14 years. Bite the lux tax bullet for 1 year and then next year they’ll have $107 coming off the books.
Where are you getting $107 miyoff the books??
Let the Mets have his. Why sign him to then be hamstrung to make other moves? the Yanks still would have so many holes to fill., with retreads and minor leagers?
Probably because they gave up a lot for him and he is not replaceable
And to think, someone asked with a straight face at Soto’s Padre introduction if he might consider signing an extension.
Oh well.
Soto did consider it. He came very close to signing it. Boras has said a couple times now that if Seidler was still alive that they would have gotten the extension finished.
@Baseball
There is no indication that was close to happening, only that Seidler wanted it to happen.
Soto was never going to foregoing free agency.
The indication is that Boras has said it twice now. I tend to believe Boras knows what was happening more than random commenters on a baseball board.
@Baseball
Boras’ story has changed. Here is what he said in March.
——-
si.com/mlb/padres/san-diego-padres-news/late-padre…
“Peter Seidler talked throughout his illness about Juan,’’ agent Scott Boras told USA Today late Friday night. “He kept saying, ‘We’re going to sign him. We’re going to get that done. We know what he means to us.’
“From everything Peter said to me, there is no way he would have traded Juan Soto. I don’t think that was in his DNA. It was very personal to him.”
——-
^ No contract negotiations. Just discissions.
Here is what Boras apparently said in October. This is new to me, and the first time he has mentioned any supposed actual contract negotiation.
——
usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nighte…
“If (Padres owner) Peter Seidler were still alive,” Boras told USA TODAY Sports, “none of this would be happening. Juan would have been with the Padres. He never would have been traded to the Yankees.
“He’d be a Padre today.”
And a Padre for the rest of his career.
“Peter and I were knee-deep in Juan Soto (contract) discussions,” Boras reveals. “Well advanced. His illness really stopped the process because we knew the organization would be different. He wanted to push it through even though he was ill.”
The contract was never consummated.
Seidler died of cancer on Nov. 14, 2023.
“I have a text message from him four days before he died,” Boras said. “‘Be back online real quick.’ ”
Three weeks later, Soto was traded to the Yankees.
“That doesn’t happen if Peter is alive,” Boras said. “Where we were at, Peter would have gotten the deal done. We were very close. Peter was not afraid.”
Never, Boras said, would Seidler have permitted Soto to be traded to the Yankees – or anywhere else.
“Peter was not trading Juan Soto,” Boras said. “No way. He kept saying, ‘I traded for a franchise. I’m not giving him up.’ He couldn’t believe they [the Nationals] traded Juan Soto. He loved Juan.”
——
It’s a bit curious Boras did not mention these supposedly advanced negotiations when he talked about his relationship with Seidler previously. A conversation is much different than a negotiation. Wanting to keep Soto is much different than actually getting deep into what it would take to get it done.
In any event, I hadn’t seen the second quote, so there you go. I am skeptical. AJ Preller said the organization never got to talking to hard numbers, and simply had the sense Soto was not going to sign. It could be Seidler was acting on his own. But, since this is the first we have ever heard there were supposedly actual contract discussions, I raise an eyebrow.
The USA Today reporter should have asked what dollar figure would have apparently been enough to convince a generational potential record-setting contract talent to forego free agency, because Boras liked Peter Seidler that much.
He said it twice. Enough for me. Like I said, I believe his take over anyone on the board.
@baseball
He literally did not say “it” twice, “it” being there having been contract negotiations with the Padres. He sort of said it once, and the claim is dubious. The man he supposedly negotiated with is not around to confirm or deny.
But if you believe the Padres were going to spend enough to make Scott Boras advise his superstar very likely record-setting ballplayer to forego a bidding war for his services, I can’t talk you out of it. So waste someone else’s time with what you do or don’t believe.
As an aside, Boras changing his story about conversations with a dead man, as if to say something bad about the Padre organization in the wake of Seidler’s death, is pretty weird and distasteful. I don’t know why the man feels the need to go there. Usually I think he makes sense, for all his bombast. This just feels gross.
He literally did say it twice. Go back and listen to the 1st interview. Not what that blogger said. What Boras actually said.
Boras said it twice.
Your opinion of what he said is immaterial to me. Boras knows what was happening. He said on two different occasions including at last years Winter Meetings that if Seidler was alive that Soto would have stayed a Padre. You don’t know what was happening because you were not there.
You are the one that keeps responding, so the solution is simple. Don’t respond.
He didn’t change his story.
*forego
Same BS negotiating tactics Scherzer and Boras pulled in Detroit.
That was never going to happen.
Soto, like Scherzer, were both always going to the public free agent auction,
This just drives Elly’s future price beyond 26 clubs.
I’m all for it as long as they still bring back Alonso, Manaea, Iglesias, Winker, Stanek and maybe another sp but that may be asking for too much
Sure doesn’t sound like they’ll be able to get both Soto and Alonso. Much rather keep Polar Bear, heart and soul player and make as many upgrades as possible to the pitching staff as of this moment is weaker than in 2024 and was the main reason they had no chance to get by LAD!
I might already have my answer from your screen name, but why would you think they can’t also resign Alonso? They have a ton of payroll left and Cohen is the richest owner in baseball by quite a bit.
Even the richest owner may want to keep his team profitable. Time will tell.
They would be absolutely crushed in luxury tax penalties. The Mets would be losing money if they signed all those mentioned. At the same time, I can see Cohen doing it.
Cohen does not care about making a profit. He has said that from the outset and every step along the way. He has so much money that this is just a hobby and a passion project. It’s like taking a less paying job later in life when you still want to work but no longer need the money.
This is a bit of kayfabe by Cohen. He absolutely cares about making a profit. Despite pretending to be the biggest Mets fan he absolutely wanted to buy the Dodgers first and was rejected. The Mets are his consolation prize and he wants them to make a long-term profit. He may be willing to take a loss here and there to make an overall better product, but he isn’t going to be losing money every year and his “beloved” Mets.
I don’t think you understand. Warren Buffet is GIVING away more than 99% of his wealth. Cohen is not far behind Buffett in terms of wealth. It is 100% reasonable that Cohen does not care about making a profit. What is he going to do with a profit from the baseball team he owns (which he is a diehard fan of) which would not even move the needle in terms of his net worth?
Such a diehard fan that he looked to the Dodgers first.
I get your point, and it’s true. He won’t be relying on the Mets for income, but he’s a businessman, and he wants his investment to be profitable. He will have more advantages than any other owner in baseball (until the oil barons start to come in), but he’ll still want the Mets to be profitable long-term.
So, that’s like $4million after federal, state, city and bureau taxes in NY?
Don’t be silly. $4.75 million.
The 1 year history?
That’s the point. The Yankees have made the playoffs regularly, without Soto. They don’t “need” him. The Mets “believe” Soto will take them to the promised land (just as SD did).
That’s a lot of paper
Hope his sake he is smart enough to convert it into money
Mets really need to be conscious of breaking up any team cohesion by spending that kind of insane money on Soto at the cost of losing a Pete Alonso who is their heart and soul player. They need to walk away from Soto, let the Yankees break all their bank future on one guy and focus on bringing back Alonso and shoring up the rotation and bullpen which was ultimately the main reason they lost to LAD. Burnes, Fried, retaining Manaea would be great additions. Trading Baty for more assets is another path they need to explore and make happen. Losing Severino and adding Montas weakens the pitching staff even more. Clay Holmes is a solid addition. Most likely a late inning guy given how incredibly shaky Diaz was and will most likely be again.
Bottom line is that the Mets have much more greater needs than going all in on one player, risking cutting out your heart and soul player and neglecting to make serious upgrades to a rather weak and unreliable at best pitching staff!
Except hey arent going all in on one player, thats your imagination
That team cohesion is gone with or without Soto. They had 13 FAs, more than any other team. They aren’t bringing all those guys back. The OMG Grimace Mets are dead and buried. This is a new era. The hope is that it’ll be a better era, but it could be 2023 all over again.
Soto’s an exceptionally great hitter, and a good – not great – defensive outfielder … with Ohtani at $700MM, Soto isn’t “worth” more than half that (“worth” in quotation marks because no payer in any sport is “worth” anything even remotely close to these kinds of figures).
MLB teams chase after players like ignorant bidders at auctions … increasing the prices for things (players) they want to buy (pay) … smart, serious bidders do their part to keep prices down, not drive them up.
Let the Yankees keep Soto … they’re a good fit, and the Yankees can contend for the title if they figure out they need to add pitching.
The Mets’ top priorities should be adding pitching and keeping Alonso and Bader. The Dodgers should be focused on keeping Buehler and T. Hernandez.
And Posey – with his brains and baseball savvy – is showing exactly why we’d hoped Giants’ ownership (of which he’s part) would make him Prez of Baseball Ops … steering clear of the Soto sweepstakes, and making intelligent, team-strengthening moves à la the brilliant Brian Sabean, architect of the Giants’ three WS championship teams (on all of which, of course, Posey was integral).
Yankees in danger of playing a stupid game and winning a stupid prize. Who cares about winning the soto sweepstakes if it inhibits you from building a team that can win a World Series! 700 million!! Let the mets have him
Not my money. I can’t afford tickets as is. The billionaires can afford this idiocy because the sucker taxpayers fund the stadiums. Whatever.
MADNE$$
Love it. The Yankees simply can’t afford to lose Soto. Hope it goes to a billion. Showtime’s K is going to look like Decoy negotiated it for him.
Absurd.
I find it way more absurd that almost no one here understands
15 years at $46.1 million AAV is $691 million. That is about what I thought would be what he signed for with a small bump of about $633k per year to make both the AAV and total the highest ever.
$730 million over 15 years is $48.667 million AAV. Not that far off.
I doubt it is the AAV going up but the years. So 14 years at 50 million a year. 700 million.
So anybody who thinks you can get three studs for 50 million is delusional.
If you ever had an owner like Bezos or Musk they could do it. Becuase at that point operating losses dont matter.
Could you see the MLB players react to having to pith in empty pop bottles because ownership has them on a production schedule that doesn’t allow potty breaks?
As a Sox fan, I’ll pass. Any player making that much money will prevent their team from building a good team around him without blowing past the luxury tax and paying the subsequent penalty’s. The draft pick penalties are the most detrimental to in the current CBA.
this is getting gross
red sox have done a great jog driving up the price for Soto. now they need to get back to their usual ways–signing rehab veterans to 1 year deals
It’s the end of the world as we know it !!!!!!!
Not for my favorite team. And I feel fine!
800 mil he goes to the jays
The oligarchs are in charge. Of everything. No one should be surprised.
Except in Green Bay.
Soto isn’t worth all of that money
Wouldn’t people be shocked to see the Giants be the secret team in on Soto. Posey is keeping his cards close to his chest it seems.
It honestly wouldn’t be a bad fit and they have the money to do it if they’re inclined enough and they have the pieces/means to become competitive again pretty quickly.
Not possible. Also he doesnt like to hit in that stadium. Boras always tries that secret team nonsense. Gets the biddign higher. Uses Heyman as his mouthpiece.
Too rich for my taste. Hope the Sox turn and sign Corbin & Freid yesterday.
Soto is now the Mayor’s Trophy.
Red Sox: Hey, we ‘tried’. We got you Aroldis, though. Full throttle!
Heyman has to be in the pocket of Boras. Heyman suggests that Soto won’t necessarily choose the highest bidder. That is a total lie. Once the Yankess lost the WS , Soto said I am available to all teams. As if we didnt know that.
Soto did not carry the Yankees to the World Series Title,
And, Soto is not worth more than Judge/
Wow, so…the two teams in the biggest market are the ones who might land the top free agent?
Who could have predicted that?
Oh, wait…everyone. Literally everyone. Because it’s a TRASH league one step behind WWE.
All of this has me wanting to compare Soto vs Vladdy.Limited defensive players.Limited speed but offensively great.If Soto gets 725m how much is Vladdy gonna get next year assuming he matches this year’s numbers
I remember when people used to whine that 1 million dollar a year contracts were going to break the game.
Yankees.
I think he will be and should be a Met. PS I’m not a Mets fan so neutral
A 41 year old Soto wheels out to the field before the game, unable to stand on his own the last 7 years but still collecting on his 15 year $47 million/yr contract, to the roar of the fans who now pay $700 for bleacher seats
Hard Pass on Soto.
Yankees and Mets are playing a rivalry game of “chicken”.
The “winner” of this insane bidding game will end up being the loser
when they need to fill out the rest of their roster
In 4-5 years, ?Buyers remorse” is going to be very real for whoever wins this bidding war.
Another problem is, no team is going to cut Soto after two years of steep decline. He’ll hang around like Miguel Cabrera for years, spoiling the stew, putting up an 80 OPS+
Fake money. Educate yourself
Heyman is peddling hard for Boras. This is just Boras trying to drive up the price on Soto.
If there isn’t much deferred money in the deal, Soto gunna be doing it all himself. His team will have alotta holes in its roster….
Yankees and Mets have holes to fill. At some point, even the super rich have limits.
Deferment for Investment equals Riches….
5-6 years from now when MLB teams start filing for bankruptcy, then you can trace the beginning of financial armageddon for major league baseball to these 500M+ contracts…
MLB finances and dollars in are not unlimited.
At some point, like with Wall St and anything else,
there will be a major financial “correction”
and it could get very brutal and ugly out in MLB land.
I wonder just talking for the price tag what would Yankees fans rather have Willy Adames ,Tyler O’Neil and left over cash to spend , or jaun soto ?
It’s done. Soto to Mets for $765 million!
mlb.com/news/juan-soto-agrees-to-contract-with-met…