Blue Jays fall short in Juan Soto sweepstakes
The Toronto Blue Jays will not be signing Juan Soto this offseason.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the superstar slugger will be staying in New York, but crossing over to the National League as he’s signed with the New York Mets after spending the 2024 season with the Yankees.
BREAKING: Superstar outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets are in agreement on a 15-year, $765 million contract, sources tell ESPN. It is the largest deal in professional sports history.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2024
Passan reported the deal as a $765 million contract over 15 years, the largest in sports history.
Soto batted .288 with 166 hits, 41 home runs, 109 RBIs and 128 runs scored in 157 games for the Yankees in the 2024 season. He won his fifth Silver Slugger award.
Soto, a 2019 World Series champion with the Washington Nationals, also spent time with the San Diego Padres before his trade to New York prior to the 2024 season.
What does this mean for the Blue Jays?
No reports have surfaced yet about what Toronto’s final package to Soto may have been after meeting the top free agent earlier this month.
As per SNY’s Andy Martino earlier this week, Toronto was believed by rival teams to be putting in one of the highest bids (if not the highest) for the superstar outfielder, though it’s hard to believe they could’ve offered much more than the Mets.
The key priority in the offseason likely shifts to signing star infielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a long-term contract, should they be able to come to terms with him. After being among the favourites to land Shohei Ohtani a year ago, it’s a second straight year of disappointment for Toronto baseball fans when it comes to landing the consensus top star in free agency.
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