The biggest and best free agent this offseason is Juan Soto, but we all already knew that, right? He’s a generational talent on a Hall of Fame track and he’s only 26 years old. He’s already played on three different teams that have made it to the LCS round, winning a ring with the Nationals in 2019 and an AL pennant with the Yankees this past season. The wildest news of all is that by several measures, he’s coming off the best year of his career, so far.
There isn’t really much not to love.
Knowing that, every single team in Major League Baseball would have room for Soto. Of course, not all can afford him — whether they can actually afford him or ownership won’t allow it, it’s all the same for our purposes. For example, the Cubs absolutely could afford Soto and should want to add an actual star to their position-player pool, but instead they seem content to keep going for a roster with a bunch of average or pretty good players. So while they should make the list and would rank pretty high, the front office has shown is has no interest in doing such things and they are fired from the list. This isn’t the same as our landing spots rankings, which were about who has the best chance of earning the pleasure of employing Soto. This is about where he fits best.
The Mariners have only been to the playoffs one time since 2001, which happens to be the last time they won the AL West. They’ve also been a contender in each of the last four seasons, so Soto could be viewed as a move that helps put them over the top and that can be attractive to players. The Mariners have deep pockets and we’ve seen them show as much before, such as with the Robinson Cano signing. The lineup is rough and could use another left-handed hitter, too, making Soto a perfect fit.
Of course, we’ve had to demote them a few spots due to the consideration from Soto’s point of view. The Mariners play in an extreme pitcher’s park. That’s never an ideal fit for his type of profile.
Similar to Seattle, the Giants play in a pitcher-friendly yard and though it isn’t as extreme, it’s much tougher on lefties than righties. That means the Giants are already starting a bit behind here. It is a high-profile organization with plenty of success in the recent past and that is possibly a plus.
As for the fit, the Giants would like to contend and could sure use some extra thunder in the middle of the lineup. There’s a fit either in right or left field, depending on how they wanted to slot Soto with Mike Yastrzemski.
The Giants reportedly don’t have a ton of extra payroll room this offseason, but they could make Soto fit financially.
The Red Sox were 81-81 last season. Perhaps it’s time to stop acting like a middle-market team and start getting back to being the Red Sox from the 2000s and 2010s. They have two stars atop the lineup in Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers, but there’s no way that should ever prevent a team from trying to grab a Soto-type talent.
Soto’s fit in Fenway Park is beautiful: Down the right-field line is a nice target and he’d get a bunch of Green Monster doubles in addition to opposite-field home runs.
Signing Soto would also be a bonus in that it takes him away from the Yankees.
I do wonder about the allocation of resources, of course. They are so left-handed in the lineup with Duran and Devers and Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida and Wilyer Abreu. Also, their needs lie elsewhere than outfield.
Still, it’s Juan Freaking Soto.
Outside of Dodgers fans, this would not be well received at all, but the World Series champions absolutely are a fit for Soto. They’ve already stated that Mookie Betts is moving back to the infield, which leaves an opening in right field. Just imagine a lineup featuring Shohei Ohtani, Soto, Betts and Freddie Freeman.
We know the Dodgers have the financial might to pull off such a move.
I’m also not putting them higher because I believe their resources would be better served to grab pitching, a shortstop — an actual shortstop, not moving a right fielder there — and then just bringing back Teoscar Hernández with what is left in their coffers.
It’s also possible I have them too low.
The Jays had enough money set aside that they were realistic suitors for Shohei Ohtani. Toronto is in the third-biggest metro area in baseball after New York and Los Angeles. They’d have to shuffle the outfield a bit to fit Soto, but that’s what you do for a player of his caliber. And he wouldn’t be entering a totally hopeless situation. Sure, the Blue Jays only won 74 games last year, but so much went wrong and there are reasons to believe they’ll be better next time around even without Soto.
For more, I’ve already laid out the Blue Jays’ case.
The Nats shipped Soto away as they were embarking on a rebuild, so what better way to signify it’s time to contend again than to bring him back? They have some exciting young players like James Wood, Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. that can help form the foundation of the next Nationals contender, but throwing Soto in the middle of that group would give them a top-shelf, veteran superstar who has been through the playoff battles.
If there is any pause here, it’s that the Nats turning the corner quickly next season is not a sure thing and Soto’s suitor list is filled with teams that are sure things.
It might seem like the Phillies have too many high-priced stars and/or power hitters, but you really can never have too much of that. There’s actually an easy fit here, too. The Phillies’ outfield right now has Nick Castellanos in right and three players (Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas and Austin Hays) for center and left. Signing Soto to play right field and shifting Castellanos to left would work.
It isn’t like the Phillies are desperate to fill their rotation or have a glaring positional weakness outside of outfield, either. Plus, they are already set up to win now and that’s something that should give them a leg up in the hunt on the Nationals and Blue Jays, for example.
Soto totally fits here.
If there’s any pause, it would be that the Phillies have already spent so much money and it’s entirely possible they view him much less as a necessity and more as a luxury. Their leftover payroll may be better spent on center field, a No. 5 starter and bullpen needs instead of bringing in another superstar.
You want to send a signal to the fan base that you are tired of losing playoff games and aren’t going to operate like a small-market club with a monster farm system? Go sign Juan Soto.
The Orioles’ best power hitter last season was Anthony Santander, a right fielder who is now a free agent. That creates a natural opening. It’s true that the Orioles are pretty left-handed with the likes of Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, Jackson Holliday and Heston Kjerstad, not to mention switch hitter Adley Rutschman.
Of course, that left-field wall is pretty far back and Camden Yards is suited for left-handed hitters. Might as well just load up on them, considering the majority of pitchers are righties anyway.
The Orioles don’t have much payroll committed to future years, so adding Soto shouldn’t be a problem for the new ownership group that is ready to spend some money.
Now, it should be noted that the Orioles need pitching more than position players, but Soto still fits because he’s only 26 and an established superstar. Plus, they could trade from their stockpile of position-playing prospects for pitching after signing Soto.
It’s really a great fit if Mike Elias and crew can thread that needle.
The Mets just made it to the NLCS and seem primed for an extended run of success now based on their farm system, a front office run by a capable president in David Stearns and an owner who could outpay pretty much anyone. That’s a good start.
At the same time, the starting outfielders right now are Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Tyrone Taylor. Taylor isn’t an everyday player, nor should Marte be at this point in his career. On top of that, who knows what will happen with Pete Alonso in free agency.
This is to say that not only is there an opening for an everyday right fielder, but the Mets might actually need to replace some middle-order production if Alonso walks. Even if he doesn’t, the duo isn’t redundant to the roster and signing both would just make them that much more powerful.
Also, the old phrase “strike while the iron is hot” applies here. The Mets just made an unlikely run to the NLCS and are looking to capitalize on it and announce their presence as a major player to the rest of baseball.
Going out and grabbing the best free agent who is an excellent roster fit lines up pretty perfectly.
But is there someone in the way?
There’s something to be said for continuity. Soto just experienced a season with the Yankees before hitting free agency and had, as I noted above, the best year of his career. Aaron Judge needs to move back to a corner outfield spot — possibly with Jasson Domínguez getting a chance in center — but Alex Verdugo is heading out in free agency. Judge and Soto playing the corners is what the Yankees need.
The Yankees had a very top-heavy lineup last season with Judge and Soto doing so much of the heavy lifting, but it was enough to win the American League East, post the best record in the AL and get to the World Series. It worked well. The Yankees can ill-afford to see how it works out without Soto. He was even great in early April and then in the playoffs when Judge was struggling.
The ballpark is a great fit, too, with that short right-field porch, even if Soto isn’t a pull-heavy hitter nor reliant on the home ballpark (he actually hit slightly better on the road last year).
I absolutely love the idea of Soto signing with the Orioles, but both New York teams offer excellent fits to their roster and are likely prepared to make better financial offers to Soto.
The road runs through New York.
