NEWSLETTER
Unlike some recent winters, this MLB offseason hasn’t really been held up by Juan Soto’s pending choice between $600M+ offers (he may have as many as FIVE on the table). But it is still an enormous domino with a lot of ramifications. And for the Cubs, it could be a particularly important one, as they’re widely expected to discuss a Cody Bellinger trade with some of the runner(s) up. Fortunately, we may not have to wait much longer.
Juan Soto’s Timeline
Tonight, Jeff Passan delivered a very specific timeline for Juan Soto to make his final call, which, coming from him, is basically gospel.
Jeff Passan on Juan Soto:
"We know at this point that the final number is going to be at least $600 million… We could see a contract potentially in excess of $700 million."
"We will know (Soto's decision), at latest, by the time the Winter Meetings in Dallas start (Dec. 9)." pic.twitter.com/yKSPJ4q9nN— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 5, 2024
The whole clip provides useful intel, but here’s the money quote for those who couldn’t listen:
“We know at this point that the final number is going to be at least $600 million…We could see a contract potentially in excess of $700 million….We will know (Soto’s decision), at latest, by the time the Winter Meetings in Dallas start (Dec. 9).”
At *LATEST* by the time the Winter Meetings *BEGIN*?! That’s definitely new. Plenty of reports had previously suggested that a decision could come by the END of the Winter Meetings, but this is much sooner. Hell, that leaves just four days until a final choice is made. And in case you’re wondering, it’s the same five teams mentioned again: Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Red Sox.
Why is this so important? Well, like I said in the introduction, this is a big step for the rest of MLB teams to kick their offseason into high gear. But it might be particularly useful for the Cubs, who could then use the entire week of the Winter Meetings to execute one of their other rumored trades (Cody Bellinger, as I mentioned, but also Nico Hoerner? Perhaps?).
My guess is that he winds up with the Mets, whose owner, Steve Cohen, is said to be willing to top any offer made. But the incumbent Yankees are a real threat, the Dodgers should never be counted out, and the Blue Jays and Red Sox are both reportedly being very aggressive. With potentially just four days remaining until a decision is made, this could be a busy weekend and a very exciting four days of news at the Winter Meetings.
This is so, so, SOOOOOO much better than waiting until January/February/March for the big deals to fall ….
