Juan Soto Rumors: NL West team could be a favorite to land the Yankees star after 2024 season

If Juan Soto chooses to enter after this season, he will undoubtedly have a huge demand in the offseason. The New York Yankees will look to offer him a convincing extension. However, Soto will likely test his market value, especially since he’s giving a career-highlighting performance this year.

Among many big suitors for Soto, New York Post's Jon Heyman listed the San Francisco Giants, the NL West’s contender, as a worthy participant in Soto’s sweepstakes.

"They showed interest in a Soto trade, and they’ve been trying to land a big positional star for years," Heyman wrote in the New York Post. "Is a pitchers’ park a dealbreaker?"

The Giants have been struggling to get into the playoffs since 2022. They even added free agents like Jordan Hicks, Blake Snell (reigning NL Cy Young winner), Jorge Soler (traded to Atlanta Braves) and Jung Hoo Lee this offseason. But despite that, their chances are low.

The Giants (62-62) are in fourth place in the NL West, behind 10 games from the division topper the Los Angeles Dodgers (71-51). They also tried their luck with Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa in 2022 and with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2024, but nothing succeeded.

Juan Soto’s potential contract as the free agency swirls around Yankees superstar

Although it’s a no-brainer for the New York Yankees to seal a long-term deal with Juan Soto, it’s not easy. Soto has proven to be a talented team player whose performance remains unaffected by geography. That has attracted several teams willing to invest in the Dominican All-Star.

Juan Soto's home run celebration with Aaron Judge (Image Credit - GETTY)

Among them are the Yankees, New York Mets, Dodgers and now the Giants. On the New York Post, Jon Heyman reported:

“Thirteen experts polled by The Post predict, on average, that Yankees slugging superstar Juan Soto will land a record $520.09 million contract.

According to Heyman, the experts’ prediction ranged from form “[Mike] Trouts’ contract (12 years, $426.5 million) to a record-breaking $600 million. That could surpass Shohei Ohtani’s yearly salary ($70 million). Beyond his $550M-plus guess, one agent added:

“If the Yankees and Mets get into a pissing match, the sky’s the limit.”

It’ll be a busy offseason for Scott Boras, who’ll be handling Soto’s case this summer as the teams are bucking their budgets for a heavy purchase.