MLB insider claims pairing "Juan Soto with Rafael Devers, Francisco Lindor or Vladimir Guerrero Jr." elevates a team, justifying a $675,000,000 deal
There's a good chance Juan Soto will sign a deal worth around $675 million with either the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays or the Boston Red Sox. The New York Yankees and LA Dodgers are also in the race, but at the moment, the momentum suggests it could be one of the aforementioned teams.
One drawback of signing Soto to such a huge contract is the impact on the payroll. There are only so many good players available, and spending so much on one player could create an imbalance in other roster spots.
While that may be true, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholas-Smith believes Juan Soto is worth it, given how much value he adds to the team. He said on the "The Walk Off Podcast" on Wednesday:
"I can see the appeal, right? That’s like seven WAR from one move," Nicholas-Smith said. "You start looking at how to add five, six, seven or eight WAR otherwise, and it’s tough. Teoscar Hernández, Santander—those guys might be two- or three-win players. Luis Severino, Sean Manaea — they might also be two- or three-win players. Okay, great, now you’re at five WAR. How do you add another two?"
"This is the appeal of Soto in a lot of ways. He does so many things for you from one roster spot. You pair him with any other elite hitter — be it Devers, Lindor or Vlad Guerrero Jr. — and you’re in a really good spot. He’s rightfully getting all this hype, and I think that if someone spends $675 million on Soto, I am not going to sit here and say it’s a bad deal because he is a special player."
Ben-Nicholas Smith predicts Juan Soto will sign with Mets
Over the past few weeks, the Red Sox and the Blue Jays have positioned themselves at the forefront of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. However, one team that most analysts predict Soto could sign with is the Mets.
The team has everything a player of Soto's caliber would want: a big market, numerous endorsement offers, the chance to be the face of one of the most valuable MLB teams and a competitive squad that can win it all in October.
Ben-Nicholas Smith confidently picked the Mets to be the outfielder's destination this free agency.
"My final Soto projection, just so it's here for the record: $675 (million) over 15 (years) to the Mets on Dec. 15," he said.
The amount would place Juan Soto in the vicinity of the historic deal Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers (10 years, $700 million) last offseason. It remains to be seen if this prediction proves true.