By Colin McDonough 

The Yankees had just lost the World Series to the Dodgers, and Juan Soto was already answering questions about his upcoming free agency.

“It’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be a good experience,” Soto told reporters. “I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that. I’m going to be available for all 30 teams.”

The Soto sweepstakes is down to five teams, and for our Duck on a Rock readers, the three most popular teams in Connecticut are all in the running to sign the superstar after making contract offers.

The Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox are all still alive to sign the outfielder, while the Blue Jays are listed as making an offer, as well as the champions of not only baseball, but deferred money, the Dodgers.

Unless the Dodgers somehow pull this off, which would not be shocking since they get everyone they want, Soto will be staying on the airwaves of the Northeast next year. He has a decision to make, but owners of ballclubs in New York and Boston can help Soto make that choice by spending money that each team has plenty of. 

Soto and agent Scott Boras are searching for a historic contract, and some reports say he will sign for whoever offers the most money, and that is completely his right. And the pressure is on each local ownership group.

Let’s start with Soto’s most recent team, the AL champion Yankees. After convincing captain Aaron Judge to stay in New York, and not leave in free agency to his hometown Giants, the Yankees hope Soto makes a similar decision. Perhaps Soto is leveraging the crosstown Mets and rival Red Sox to make the Yankees pay more, but will ultimately stay for less money. The Yankees, however, cannot afford to let him go to either team. Hal Steinbrenner has the money to offer Soto the biggest deal and should. Giancarlo Stanton was otherworldly in the postseason but the Yankee lineup needs Soto and Judge to function. They are in a win-now mode with Judge and Cole. If Soto leaves, from a baseball perspective, the Bronx Bombers could take a step back. From a media and fan relations standpoint, it’d be a nightmare. Steve Cohen convincing a generational Yankee talent to leave the Bronx after one season for Queens would be like me winning a fight against my big brother Matt. And the alternative of Soto leaving the Yankees for the Red Sox, a team who was not thought of as a possibility throughout the season, would be equally as damaging to the Steinbrenners. It would, however, be one of the most entertaining weeks to listen to WFAN.

For the Mets, Cohen has a chance to pair Francisco Lindor with another electrifying personality in Soto. The Mets made a surprising run to the NLCS and if they win the offseason the momentum would continue into next season. This is why Cohen, who is worth 21 billion dollars, bought his favorite team. If he’s not going to offer Soto, who is in his prime, to leave the Yankees for the Mets and get you closer to a World Series then what’s the point. If you really want Soto, and have the deepest pockets, offer him an outlandish deal to lure him. 

Now for the Red Sox. Baseball in Boston has been a bumbling mess since the last Red Sox World Series title in 2018. Outside of a 2021 ALCS appearance, the Red Sox have not made the postseason, and a century later have their next “Curse of the Bambino” after stupidly trading Mookie Betts to the Dodgers. One of the only ways that the senile and idiotic John Henry, Red Sox ownership group, and brass could make anything up to their fans is to sign Soto. Much like pairing Soto with Judge or Lindor in New York, Soto and Devers could star in Boston for a generation. Henry denied Red Sox Nation a chance to have Betts carry the torch of the Face of Fenway from David Ortiz, so they should actually sign Soto from their hated rivals in a stunning move and offer him the biggest deal. But based on recent history, Red Sox ownership will feign a serious attempt to sign Soto, and when he stays in New York either for their rivals or the Mets, will tell their fans they made a competitive offer. 

MLB Winter Meetings are less than two weeks away. We’ll see if Soto has chosen his home for the next 10-15 years by then. But the decision is really not up to him, it’s up to them…