SAN ANTONIO — Now that it’s November, the Juan Soto sweepstakes have officially begun. During this week’s MLB General Manager Meetings in San Antonio, much of the chatter was about the superstar free agent and not only where he will land but also just how much money he might command on the open market.
Industry sources tell Yahoo Sports that the expectation around the league is that the 26-year-old superstar will likely stay in New York, either re-signing with the Yankees or joining the Mets in Queens. While some see the Yankees as having the inside track on Soto’s services after their trip to the World Series, the bigger appeal of the Yankees lies in their ability to pair Soto with Aaron Judge for the rest of Judge’s career.
Still, the Mets are seen as serious threats to acquire Soto this offseason. New York is coming off a season in which they reached the NLCS before being knocked out by the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mets also have a roster on the rise, with a superstar talent in Francsico Lindor.
At the end of the day, the Mets hold this offseason’s biggest trump card. That’s because the team’s owner, Steve Cohen, has the deepest wallet in the sport, with an estimated net worth of $21 billion. Whenever he and team president David Stearns decide they want their guy, they have the means to get him. If that guy is Soto, well, good luck to anybody else.
“We certainly have a lot of interest, and it’s a very fun time for Juan,” Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, said Wednesday. “Playing in New York was comfortable. He really, really enjoyed his teammates, the Yankee experience. Juan loves winning. …
“Juan Soto wants ownership that he knows is going to support an opportunity to win annually.”
Teams eagerly awaiting decision on Roki Sasaki
Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki has been on the radar of MLB teams since he was a teenager, but the 23-year-old fireballer might finally make his way to the States this winter. Executives around baseball are waiting to see if Sasaki will be posted by his NPB team. Sources believe that if he is indeed posted, he will immediately become one of the most coveted players on the free-agent market. Sasaki is 30-15 with a 2.02 ERA in his career with the Chiba Lotte Marines.
If Sasaki decides to leave Japan this winter, he will make significantly less than he would after age 25 because of international signing rules. And like Shohei Ohtani in 2018, he would be under contract with an MLB team for six years before becoming a free agent.
If Sasaki waits two more years, following in the footsteps of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, he could become an MLB free agent at age 25 and sign without the constraints of international signing restrictions. That’s how the Dodgers’ right-hander landed a 10-year, $325 million deal, the largest free-agent contract ever given to a pitcher.
The NPB to MLB pipeline is strong, and in recent years, Japan’s top baseball league has delivered numerous stars to the major leagues, including the world’s best player, Shohei Ohtani, as well as Masahiro Tanaka, Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga.
Devin Williams one of hottest names on early trade market
While the free-agent market slowly started to take shape during the GM Meetings this week, the trade market could get moving rather quickly. The Milwaukee Brewers are open to moving All-Star closer Devin Williams and have been engaging with other teams as the offseason has begun, sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Williams, 30, has been one of the best high-leverage arms in baseball since his MLB debut in 2019. He’s 27-10 with a 1.83 ERA in 241 appearances across his career with Milwaukee.
The Brewers’ asking price for the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year is understandably high, and seeing as there is no high-leverage arm of Williams’ caliber on this year’s free-agent market, Milwaukee does have leverage. Williams, whose option for the 2025 season was declined earlier this week, remains under team control for one more season via arbitration and is set to become a free agent at the end of 2025.
The Brewers have been in this situation before, when they traded closer Josh Hader a year and a half prior to free agency. They also traded right-hander Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles last winter before Burnes was set to become a free agent this offseason.
Teams that might be looking to add help in the back end of the bullpen include the Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles, Dodgers and Braves. That said, Baltimore will likely have All-Star closer Felix Bautista back from Tommy John surgery at some point in 2025.
Teoscar Hernández in line for multi-year deal
This year’s offseason should go much better than last year’s for free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández. The 32-year-old is coming off a bounce-back season that saw him become a key member of a Dodgers team that won the World Series. The 2024 All-Star and Home Run Derby champ hit a career-high 33 homers in 2024 and posted a .931 OPS in the World Series.
After thriving on a one-year, prove-it deal with L.A., Hernández is now primed to earn the multi-year deal he was hoping for last winter. Sources tell Yahoo Sports that there is mutual interest in a reunion between the Dodgers and Hernández, who was beloved in the L.A. clubhouse last season.
Another interested team is the Boston Red Sox. Boston was one of the teams that showed interest in the 32-year-old outfielder last winter prior to his signing with the Dodgers. If the Red Sox don’t bring back free-agent outfielder Tyler O’Neill, Boston could look to make Hernández the outfielder to fill that void in their lineup.
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