MLB Free Agents 2024: Latest Juan Soto Rumors, Predictions Amid Yankees, Mets Buzz

When MLB free agency kicks off on the day after the World Series, no player will be more coveted than left fielder Juan Soto.

The 26-year-old is in the midst of the best statistical season of his career and is a unicorn of sorts: a young player, at the peak of his talent, hitting free agency for the first time in his career.

Nearly all franchises with available funds will be in the hunt for the generational player, but the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported there is a pecking order for teams favored to land him.

The incumbent team, the ALCS-bound New York Yankees, are the current and "clear" favorites, followed closely by the cross-town New York Mets.

Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia round out the remainder of the list.

Soto finished the regular season with a career-high in home runs (41), hits (166), runs (128), and WAR (7.9), so it is not surprising that any contending team with a reasonable amount of money would be considered potential suitors for the four-time All-Star.

Soto, though, admits it has been a special season with the Yankees, telling NorthJersey.com’s Pete Caldera, “When you put that jersey on and those pinstripes, it just feels different. There's so much history and everything, so many fans all over the world that we have...it feels really nice to play for a team that has so many big moments in history.”

Sentiment aside, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel told insider Buster Olney on the Baseball Tonight podcast that the serious bidders could drive his price to the $550-560 million range and that a Yankees win would mean he goes back to the Bronx.

A loss and he winds up in Queens.

Olney predicted he ends up with the Mets either way.

The Mets have the money after Justin Verlander's contract did not vest and with Starling Marte's knee injury slowing him this season, there is room in the outfield for Soto, even if it means shuffling Brandon Nimmo around.

Steve Cohen is always looking for the next big free agent addition and as long as the organization believes it will not mess with team chemistry, and general manager David Stearns has no prior issues with him from their time spent in San Diego, there is every reason to believe the Mets will aggressively pursue the potent hitter.

Still, there is something to be said about the success that Soto has had in New York, hitting in front of AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge. While he is a businessman first, the Yankees still feel likely to retain him, if for no other reason than the regular season excellence and postseason relevancy he helped bring back to the club in 2024.

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Prediction: Juan Soto stays with the Yankees