"Shohei Ohtani opened worldwide possibilities, Juan Soto does not" - MLB sportscaster against $500-$600M contract for Yankees' soon-to-be free agent

One of the biggest storylines heading toward the offseason is the pending free agency of Juan Soto. The New York Yankees outfielder has been enjoying one of the best seasons of his relatively early career. It could pay off handsomely for him as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

Thanks to yet another All-Star selection and a potentially deep postseason run, Juan Soto will undoubtedly cash in this offseason. While some believe that he could re-sign with the New York Yankees, the club will undoubtedly need to pay up as Soto and his agent Scott Boras eye a potential mega-contract.

Some experts believe that Soto could land a contract in the $500-600 million range. In the latest episode of their show Blair & Barker, MLB analysts Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker said that they don't believe Soto is worth that type of deal.

The hosts felt that Soto would not provide the amount of value that Shohei Ohtani does on and off the field. Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani's two-way abilities and global impact from a business perspective make him one of the unique players in baseball.

"There was a business case to be made for signing Shohei Ohtani. He was going to sell alot of product in Japan, he was going to sell alot of product here. For a telecommunications company opened all sorts of worldwide possibilties... Juan Soto does not do that [6:22]," Jeff Blair said of Ohtani's impact.

Kevin Barker pointed out that a team might be better off by committing that kind of money to many other roster pieces.

"There's other options that will make your team just as good. Maybe not as top-end as if you added Juan Soto to the mix but there's enough on the market now that you could spend less money and be just as good and competitive [6:54]," Barker added.

Juan Soto should have plenty of suitors vying for his signature this offseason

A number of teams with the financial abilities to make such a signing will be lining up for Soto. The New York Yankees are not the only team expected to be in the running for his signature with the New York Mets heavily linked to the outfielder. The San Francisco Giants are another team worth monitoring in free agency.

The impact of a world-class player such as Soto is clear. After missing the postseason last season, the Yankees now find themselves as one of the favorites to win the World Series this year.