Free agent slugger Juan Soto's market is heating up quickly, as expected, with the star slugger the prize of the market this offseason.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Soto is set to begin with prospective teams this week in California. The Toronto Blue Jays will get the first meeting with Soto, followed by the Boston Red Sox. After that, the two prohibitive favorites, the New York Mets and New York Yankees will get a chance for Soto to hear their pitch.
The Yankees would certainly love to have him back impacting the middle of their batting order. The 26-year-old Soto hit .288 this season for the Bronx Bombers, with 41 home runs and 109 RBI in 576 at-bats.
Soto is also in historic company as he enters his prime. As Passan noted, Soto is eighth all-time in OPS+ among players with 3,000 or more plate appearances through their age-25 season. His OPS+ of 160 trails only Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Mike Trout, Jimmie Foxx, Albert Pujols, Tris Speaker and Rogers Hornsby. That is certainly good Hall of Fame company to be in.
Soto will likely command the longest contract in MLB history due to his age and talent. Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres currently holds that record for contract length with his 14-year, $340 million contract. Soto's deal could break the record for contract length, and is expected to exceed $600 million in guaranteed money.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Juan Soto Sweepstakes Heat Up As Slugger Set to Meet With Four Teams.
