The Juan Soto sweepstakes are starting to intensify. 
With last week&#8217;s GM Meetings in the rear-view mirror, Major League Baseball&#8217;s hot stove is officially in full swing, centred around this winter&#8217;s prized possession, Soto, who reportedly plans to meet with interested suitors in California this week.
Among them will be the Toronto Blue Jays, who are seen as a major threat to potentially lure the generational superstar away from New York, as the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/news-and-notes-blue-jays-are-seen-as-a-viable-obstacle-to-sign-juan-soto-according-to-jon-heyman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post&#8217;s Jon Heyman reported Monday</a>.
Adding to that speculation, <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/42331709/mlb-offseason-2024-25-passan-predictions-juan-soto-roki-sasaki-corbin-burnes-pete-alonso" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&#8217;s Jeff Passan revealed Tuesday</a> that the Blue Jays will receive first crack at making their pitch to Soto and his agent Scott Boras, followed by the Boston Red Sox and, of course, both the Mets and Yankees. Other teams likely in the mix include the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays.
Most throughout the industry expect the four-time All-Star&#8217;s contract to be worth at least $600 million, making it the richest present-day deal in professional sports, surpassing the current record holder, Shohei Ohtani. Passan also noted it could exceed Fernando Tatis Jr.&#8217;s 14-year, $340 million deal as the longest in MLB history.
As it pertains to the Blue Jays, whose projected <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/blue-jays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">competitive balance tax (CBT) payroll for next season sits at approximately $211.1 million</a> per FanGraphs&#8217; Roster Resource, they have the flexibility to expand their off-season spending limits for unique opportunities &#8212; like pursuing one of the sport&#8217;s brightest stars, as they did last winter with Ohtani &#8212; according to <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/how-the-blue-jays-are-trying-to-close-their-post-season-gap-this-off-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sportsnet&#8217;s Shi Davidi.</a> That exception could extend to other hitters, too, such as Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, Willy Adames and Alex Bregman.
In addition to the front office&#8217;s search for an impact bat, Toronto has also aggressively explored the starting pitcher market this winter, expressing interest in many of the top arms available, including Max Fried and Roki Saski, among several others.
All this suggests the Blue Jays plan to be heavily involved in free agency this winter, as they aim to make a significant splash regarding a flawed roster that lost 88 games and finished last in the AL East last season.

The Juan Soto sweepstakes are starting to intensify. 

With last week's GM Meetings in the rear-view mirror, Major League Baseball's hot stove is officially in full swing, centred around this winter's prized possession, Soto, who reportedly plans to meet with interested suitors in California this week.

Among them will be the Toronto Blue Jays, who are seen as a major threat to potentially lure the generational superstar away from New York, as the <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/news-and-notes-blue-jays-are-seen-as-a-viable-obstacle-to-sign-juan-soto-according-to-jon-heyman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Monday</a>.

Adding to that speculation, <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/42331709/mlb-offseason-2024-25-passan-predictions-juan-soto-roki-sasaki-corbin-burnes-pete-alonso" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN's Jeff Passan revealed Tuesday</a> that the Blue Jays will receive first crack at making their pitch to Soto and his agent Scott Boras, followed by the Boston Red Sox and, of course, both the Mets and Yankees. Other teams likely in the mix include the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays.

Most throughout the industry expect the four-time All-Star's contract to be worth at least $600 million, making it the richest present-day deal in professional sports, surpassing the current record holder, Shohei Ohtani. Passan also noted it could exceed Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 14-year, $340 million deal as the longest in MLB history.

As it pertains to the Blue Jays, whose projected <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/payroll/blue-jays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">competitive balance tax (CBT) payroll for next season sits at approximately $211.1 million</a> per FanGraphs' Roster Resource, they have the flexibility to expand their off-season spending limits for unique opportunities -- like pursuing one of the sport's brightest stars, as they did last winter with Ohtani -- according to <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/how-the-blue-jays-are-trying-to-close-their-post-season-gap-this-off-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.</a> That exception could extend to other hitters, too, such as Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, Willy Adames and Alex Bregman.

In addition to the front office's search for an impact bat, Toronto has also aggressively explored the starting pitcher market this winter, expressing interest in many of the top arms available, including Max Fried and Roki Saski, among several others.

All this suggests the Blue Jays plan to be heavily involved in free agency this winter, as they aim to make a significant splash regarding a flawed roster that lost 88 games and finished last in the AL East last season.

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