No one in the world of Major League Baseball should be surprised if the Toronto Blue Jays manage to attract outfielder Juan Soto to their ranks, a generational talent who has earned his label as the most coveted free agent.
At least that’s what journalist Jon Heyman writes for the daily New York Post Monday.
Interest from MLB teams in Soto is unsurprisingly widespread, but eight finalist clubs have reportedly left the rest of the field behind. And from this select group, one or two formations would be worth watching closely.
“The Jays are seen by some industry sources as a serious threat to the New York Yankees and the New York Mets,” Heyman said.
“(Toronto) has had trouble attracting superstars in the past, allegedly for geographic and financial reasons. High taxes and the strong Canadian dollar complicate matters. But what we hear is that the Jays are highly motivated [à faire signer un lucratif contrat à Soto] “, he writes, specifying that the Jays, despite their presence in the Canadian market, have deep enough pockets to hold their own.
Whatever destination Soto and his agent encircle, we can safely predict that the pact that will be made to the 26-year-old Dominican will shatter records.
Also according to Heyman, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox also plan to meet with Soto and his representatives in California over the next week. Two other “mystery” teams are also in the picture.
One of the general managers involved in the negotiations surrounding Soto reportedly suggested on condition of anonymity that Soto is seeking a contract lasting 13 to 15 seasons, and that the annual salary would exceed 40 million $ that Aaron Judge currently pockets, a record in the MLB for a position player with the exception of Shohei Ohtani, who is also a pitcher.
Last year at this time, Toronto found itself among the three most serious contenders to attract the services of Ohtani and his demands to the tune of $700 million. The Dodgers, the most recent winners of the World Series, finally won at the finish line over the Jays and the Giants.
