Scott Boras negotiating on behalf of his client, Juan Soto, is going to look a lot like Donald Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, testifying in front of Congress.
When teams put millions on the table, Boras will keep asking for “more” and “more.”
The 26-year-old Soto, a generational hitter, officially became a free agent following the end of the New York Yankees season on Wednesday. The expectation is that he’ll get paid, perhaps a lot more than Shohei Ohtani, and he seemingly isn’t going to leave a dime on the table.
Soto was asked following a Game 5 World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers if his current squad has an advantage in his free agency, and his answer might not resonate with the Yankees faithful.
“I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I go into free agency,” he said. “I don’t want to say anyone has an advantage because, at the end of the day, we’re gonna look at what they have and how much they want me.”
Juan Soto on if the Yankees have an advantage in his free agency”
“I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I go into free agency. I don’t want to say anyone has an advantage because at the end of the day we’re gonna look at what they have & how much they want me” pic.twitter.com/ulGDORoJ7G
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 31, 2024
How much the Yankees — or any of the 9 Major League Baseball teams — want him depends on how much money they’re willing to spend. And according to ESPN’s Karl Ravech, that monetary figure might surpass whatever you had in mind.
Karl Ravech on Juan Soto’s next contract: “He’s going to get something that starts with a 7, if not an 8. Not a 5 or a 6, but a 7. It’s going to be in the $700 million area.” pic.twitter.com/SzbvzzE2l5
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 31, 2024
“He’s open for business; he’s smart like that,” Ravech said on Thursday’s Get Up. “He works with Scott Boras. Scott Boras likes to get the biggest dollar amount. He will get the biggest dollar amount. The creativity in the Ohtani deal is a blueprint, and he’s going to get something that starts with a seven, if not an eight. Not a five or a six, but a seven. It’s going to be in the $700 million area.
“And Gene Orza, who was the associate director of the player’s association, you remember that name, years ago, would talk about this season — your free agent year as a platform year. Well, in a world of platforms, Juan Soto’s created his own. Beyond Meta and Facebook and Instagram, we now have Soto-gram, and he’s going to get $700-$800 million.
“And it’s not only the two teams in New York that’s going to bid on him or want him — it’s all 30. It’s incredible. And he’s that guy.”
Indeed, he is.
Soto accumulated a 7.9 WAR in a contract year with a .288/.419/.559 slash line to go along with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a .989 OPS. And that didn’t slow down in the postseason, where he hit .327/.469/.633 with a 1.101 OPS, in addition to four home runs (seven extra-base hits) and nine RBIs.
Soto was born for the big stage, and he’s set to cash in every last dime, whether it’s with the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Phillies, or even the Blue Jays.
[Get Up]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.