Yankees’ Juan Soto Free-Agent Pursuit Gets a ‘Major Surprise’: Insider

Getty Yankees star Juan Soto (left)

In 2024, the total payroll of Yankees divisional foe Tampa Bay was $88 million. That was 28^th in the major leagues, according to Spotrac. The Yankees’ payroll was $309 million, or three-and-a-half times that of the Rays. When word came down on Wednesday, then, that the Rays were one of seven teams that had thrown its hat into the ring in the opening of the Juan Soto sweepstakes, there were naturally some raised eyebrows.

The Rays are in line for a new stadium, but as things stand, they had the roof of their current park—Tropicana Field—blown off during Hurricane Milton, causing $39 million worth of damage and leaving the field, perhaps, unsalvageable.

Having the small-market Rays involved with a potential $700 million free agent like Soto at all is strange. But the timing makes it particularly puzzling.

As New York Post baseball insider Jon Heyman wrote, “Seven teams that have called on Juan Soto are known, and while one is a major surprise — the homeless-at-the-moment Tampa Bay Rays — the other six are all major-market teams that have big payrolls and presumably a much better shot than the surprising Rays.”

Yankees’ Juan Soto Free Agency: The 7 Known Suitors

Heyman laid out the seven teams that have made calls on Soto to this agent, Scott Boras. The first two are expected to be the most serious bidders for the services of Soto, including the Yankees and Mets. Third on the list, too, is no surprise, either—the free-spending World Series champion Dodgers.

It may be a longshot for Soto to wind up back on the West coast, and the Dodgers just might be checking in as part of their due diligence. But they’re never to be counted out in a free-agent talks.

After that, things get more interesting. The Blue Jays—who were serious suitors for Shohei Ohtani last winter—are said to be the Yankees’ top threat for losing Soto, after the Mets. They’re one to watch. Heyman also included the Red Sox, which is fascinating considering Boston’s reluctance to spend in recent years.

The Giants and Rays round out the seven, but Heyman also included “the field,” noting that there are at least four other teams that have called on Soto, too.