Now that the season is over, the Juan Soto free agency sweepstakes can officially begin after months of speculation. Teams like the New York Yankees and New York Mets are considered favorites to sign the 26-year-old outfielder. But do the Chicago Cubs have a chance of signing him?
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report thinks a fit between Soto and the Cubs makes sense. He shared his top 10 potential landing spots for the slugger this winter on Wednesday. While the Yankees (first) and Mets (second) were in the lead, Chicago placed third.
The Cubs finished this high because Reuter assumes outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger will opt out of his three-year, $80 million contract. This would leave a major void on manager Craig Counsell’s roster that Soto could easily fill.
Sarah Stier/Getty Images
“With one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, major market appeal and a dire need for a franchise-level superstar, the Cubs cannot be overlooked as a potential landing spot for Soto this winter,” Reuters said.
Soto spent 2024 with the Yankees and was a crucial reason New York reached the World Series for the first time since 2009. Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs and 128 runs scored scored in 576 plate appearances. . That home run total is a new career high, as is the 7.9 WAR he produced, according to Baseball-Reference.
While it’s intriguing to wonder which team Soto will ultimately choose, the value of his next contract is also a hot topic. ESPN’s Jeff Passan said in August that the floor would be $500 million. Spotrac projected its market value at 14 years and $513 million. However, others believe it will be much higher than that. Jim Bowden of The Athletic just predicted that Soto would land a $622 million contract.
More MLB: Three more reds to enter free agency; Fan Favorite Signs New Deal
