DALLAS – Both the Yankees and Mets remain heavily involved in the five-team Juan Soto Derby. Both clubs recently increased their offers to the range of $710 million to $730 million – MLB record territory – amid expectations the draw could happen within a day or two of a historic deal.

Both New York teams have shown how serious they are about recent offer changes, and both now have extended offers beyond Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking $700 million contract.

The expectation is that the Mets could be a little higher on Saturday night, but the corresponding offers appear to be within reach.

There’s no word yet that any of the other three Soto applicants – Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers – are in any way excluded from this bid, and it’s possible that one of those teams will even rank above the New York teams and the 26-year-old superstar batsman.

Soto won’t necessarily accept the highest bidder and was said to have weighed five huge bids on Saturday evening.

It is assumed that at least the top 4 offers are fairly close to each other.

The Mets have been clear from the start that the Yankees’ only untouchable advantage in this sweepstakes is their ability to offer a two-time MVP winner, Aaron Judge, as lineup protection.

Some new-schoolers scoff at the idea of ​​protection within a batting order, but Judge was the American OPS leader with a grade of 1.159, so far above everyone else that Soto didn’t lead the league in walks for a rare stretch.

The judge managed 133 free spins to 129 for Soto.

The Mets are also considered an attractive destination for Soto, as his meeting with senior Mets officials, including club owner Steve Cohen and team president David Stearns, reportedly went well (as did the Yankees’ meeting a few days later). .

The Mets impressed Soto last year in Stearns’ first season at the helm with their impressive success heading into the NLCS.

The Red Sox and Blue Jays are also believed to have made very competitive offers, while the Dodgers superteam, who had less need to add another superstar, surprised people by fetching well over $600 million.

All three of those teams still appear to be on offer, although the lowest-bid Dodgers are still viewed as the least likely destination despite their obvious appeal.

Soto met with executives from all five teams last month, including the Yankees – although Soto is said to have become increasingly comfortable around the Yankees over the year he was in the Bronx.

He is believed to have formed a connection with Judge on this level as well.

Judge also made it easy on himself when he said he hoped Soto could get whatever he could get on the market, even if that meant it was more than he could get.

Coincidentally, if Soto signs for exactly $720 million, that will be exactly double Judge’s record free agent contract for $360 million, which was signed just two years ago.

Soto was projected to break Ohtani’s current value record of around $450 million, but no one predicted he would surpass Ohtani’s mark by 60 percent, which will be the case if no money is deferred in his deal.

Ohtani’s contract called for a 97 percent deferral, so $680 million of the $700 million would be paid later.