NEWSLETTER
This offseason, Juan Soto is set to become the highest-paid player of all time (or, at worst, the second-highest next to Shohei Ohtani). Not only is he one of the youngest AND best players to ever reach free agency, but he is also being actively targeted by the Yankees, Mets, and now Dodgers, who are on the doorstep of winning the World Series. That combination of circumstances is going to drag his free agency to unseen heights. And yet, it almost didn’t happen.
No, I’m not talking about the 15-year, $440M extension offer he declined from the Nationals. Instead, there’s a new bit of reporting that reveals how close he was to a deal with the Padres, scuttled only by the passing of Padres owner Peter Seidler.
Juan Soto Was Almost a Padre for Life
“If (Padres owner) Peter Seidler were still alive,” Boras told USA TODAY Sports, “none of this would be happening. Juan would have been with the Padres. He never would have been traded to the Yankees….Peter and I were knee-deep in Juan Soto (contract) discussions,” Boras reveals. “Well advanced. His illness really stopped the process because we knew the organization would be different. He wanted to push it through even though he was ill.”
Boras goes on to repeat in various ways that Seidler would have never traded Juan Soto and was actively shocked that the Nationals gave him up in the first place. What a nice perspective.
Swinging back to Soto’s market in free agency, the Yankees and Mets continue to be the front-runners, with the Dodgers a recent (rumored) entry into that race. They seem to be a close second alongside the Giants and perhaps the Blue Jays. Meanwhile, the Phillies are hanging on the periphery as a potentially interested party, as well.
In other words, every big market team except the Chicago Cubs. Every one. And there’s never even a single mention of the Cubs. And I guess the Boston Red Sox, who are also inexplicably austere of late.
Forbes Team Valuations:
- Yankees: $7.55 Billion
- Dodgers: $5.45 Billion
- Red Sox: $4.5 Billion
- Cubs: $4.23 Billion
- Giants: $3.8 Billion
- Mets: $3.0 Billion
- Phillies: $2.93 Billion
Hopeless romantics will tell you Jed Hoyer and the Cubs are notoriously tight-lipped and do not stand to gain anything by announcing to the world any potential interest in Juan Soto. And that they were theoretically/reportedly serious about trying to woo Shohei Ohtani, indicating a willingness to extend well beyond their typical range for the right player.
But that’s why they’re hopeless.
I’ll be more than happy to eat my words if the Cubs shock us all this winter, I just have zero expectation of that happening. And you shouldn’t either. It’s a huge shame and huge mistake, frankly, but it’s the reality. Personally, I’d bet everything on Juan Soto, rearranging my entire organization to get him in the door. That’s how good and unique he is. But for the Cubs, led by Jed Hoyer, I just don’t think it’s going to happen. And I’m not going to stop bringing this up every time there’s a new Juan Soto story. The least we can do is call it out.
In any case, MLB free agency is just one Dodgers win away. And the best we can hope for now is that Soto finds a home quickly, so as not to hold up too much of the offseason as teams await his decision.
