Blue Jays will have first in-person meeting with Juan Soto: report

Whether it ends up in another disappointment like last year’s Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes remains to be seen, but the Toronto Blue Jays appear to be very serious in their pursuit of superstar free agent Juan Soto.

Soto, the 26-year-old outfielder who just wrapped up his lone season to date in the Bronx with the New York Yankees, is baseball’s top prize this offseason and expected to garner a contract that could go upwards of $700 million.

According to an article from the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman, Toronto could be the top threat to lure Soto away from one of the two MLB teams in New York.

“The Jays are viewed by industry sources as a viable obstacle to the favoured Yankees and Mets, thanks to a well-heeled ownership and strong incentive to improve coming off the abject disappointment of 2024,” Heyman wrote.

Heyman had previously mentioned the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Tampa Bay Rays as teams putting forth a bid for his services.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan offered some further context in an article published on Tuesday morning, adding that the Jays will get the first crack at wooing him to Toronto.

“Some of the biggest markets in baseball are lining up for his services. Soto is starting to take meetings with teams this week in California, and the Toronto Blue Jays will be first, according to major league sources. After trying to land Shohei Ohtani last winter, the Blue Jays are serious about adding a star alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and have targeted Soto,” Passan wrote.

Passan also predicted that the Soto sweepstakes “isn’t going to be something that stretches into the new year,” saying that a suitor could be found before the MLB winter meetings kick off on December 9.

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