Could Juan Soto make free agency before the Winter Meetings? Here’s the latest

Could Juan Soto make free agency before the Winter Meetings? Here’s the latest

Juan Soto could make his decision in free agency any day now.

SNY’s Andy Martino and ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez both reported Tuesday night that the Soto sweepstakes may end before the end of this week.

That means Soto could resign from the board before next week’s winter meetings in Dallas, triggering a domino effect on the rest of the open market.

“Everyone I talk to who is involved on any level believes the news will come out before Dallas this week,” Martino said Tuesday night.

Soto’s agent Scott Boras spoke to reporters at Blake Snell’s introductory press conference with the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

While Boras said Soto’s decision is not “imminent in the near future,” he revealed that the outfielder “has begun the process of eliminating teams.”

The Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers are the five publicly known suitors for Soto. The Athletic reported Tuesday that all “remaining contenders” in the Soto sweepstakes have officially offered at least $600 million for the outfielder.

That puts Soto on pace to break the current-day value record set by Shohei Ohtani, who signed a heavily deferred contract worth $700 million with the Dodgers last winter. This deal amounts to $460 million for luxury tax purposes.

A Soto decision would be a catalyst for more high-profile free market activity. The teams missing Soto will have to spend big and desperately try to fill other gaps.

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