Yankees Predicted to Lose Juan Soto in Free Agency to Hated Rival
At this point, the Yankees have plenty to be worried about here in 2024 as they seek to close out with two strong months and prep for what they hope will be a World Series run. Being concerned about the future of the team’s free agents—and there are many—is not a luxury the team can afford just now, not as the lineup and starting rotation need to get themselves in order.
But it will be the most important issue in MLB once the Yankees’ run does come to an end. That’s because Juan Soto, the star the Yankees traded for from San Diego last winter, will be on the market and the Yankees will be under pressure to keep him in place.
There will be competition, and everyone knows where most of that competition will come from—the crosstown rival Mets, who have long had eyes on Soto and attempted to trade for him when he was in Washington.
At Bleacher Report, analyst Tyler Ward is predicting that, in the end, the Yankees will be outbid for Soto by the Mets. As he stated, “Juan Soto is going to be a New York Metropolitan.”
Juan Soto Has Been Stellar This Season
Soto has been dynamic this season for the Yankees, hitting .310 with 28 home runs and a career-high OPS of 1.035. He has fit well into the clubhouse and has provided a jolt of enthusiasm coming off last season moribund performance from the Yankees.
It would sting for the Yankees to lose him. But the Mets could be ready to outbid the Bombers this winter. It won’t be cheap—in an ESPN poll of MLB execs in June, half projected Soto to get between $500-$600 million.
