ESPN: The Yankees make a blockbuster move announce Juan Soto’s signing decision date.
Top ESPN baseball analyst Jeff Passan predicts that generational free agency slugger Juan Soto, the focus of the most heated offseason rumors over his future, will resolve the issue and make a decision by Sunday, December 8. In an interview with the network on Wednesday, the reporter revealed the information.
According to Passan’s words, Soto is anticipated to make his decision following a last round of talks that will take place over the weekend.
On the network’s afternoon SportsCenter show, Passan stated, “We are finally in the endgame of a months-long pursuit by teams of Juan Soto, and we know at his point that the final number is going to be at least $600 million over a double-digit figure number of years.” “We might see a contract worth more than $700 million if teams are willing to commit to, say, 15 years, which they might be able to because Juan Soto is only 26.”
“At This Point,” there are no favorites to land Soto.
The Boston Red Sox were the “favorite” to sign Soto, according to prior rumors from other media sites, but Passan clarified that “at this point there are no favorites.”
The “incumbent” team, the New York Yankees, was expressly mentioned by the ESPN writer as one of the teams still actively pursuing Soto. The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are still in existence, as are the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets.
Passan revealed for the first time that Soto intends to do one more round of in-person discussions with the clubs involved, saying, “It is expected that there will be meetings over the weekend.” At that moment, Soto will make his decision on where to go. And by the time the Winter Meetings in Dallas begin, at the latest, we will know.
On Sunday, December 8, MLB’s top executives and select players assemble for the annual Winter Meetings, where many offseason deals are often finalized.
To put it another way, if Passan is right, the tension will have passed by Sunday night, and one club will be aware that it is adding a player who, at this very early stage of his career, is among the greatest in baseball history.
Soto has been performing on par with Ted Williams.
This was discovered by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe in a statistical review of Soto’s first six seasons. “Soto has outperformed most Hall of Famers during his age-25 season, which helps to explain why a number of teams, including the Red Sox, are vying for him in a pursuit that is anticipated to generate $500 million and possibly even $600 million.”
Only one other player in Major League Baseball history has had the influence that Soto has in his first six seasons, according to Speier’s research. Ted Williams, who was a member of the Red Sox from 1939 until 1960, is that player. Many baseball historians and analysts believe that the Hall of Famer is the best hitter in history.
In 2018, Soto, at 19 years old, hit.292/.406/.517, which translated into an OPS+ of 142. (The average league score is 100.) “He is the only player in baseball history to have seven seasons with an OPS+ of 140 or better before turning 26,” Speier wrote, adding that Williams had topped the 140 mark in each of his first four seasons before missing three full seasons due to World War II service. “His OPS+ has never fallen below that mark.”
