MLB Free Agents 2024: Rumors and Predictions for Juan Soto, Yankees and Dodgers
Juan Soto captivated Yankees fans with a magical season that ranked as the best of his career. He was brilliant with the AL East champions and is expected to get a historic payday this offseason in free agency.
Where will he land?
Could it be with the incumbent team or the new world-champion Los Angeles Dodgers?
Or might it be with another squad that fell just short of the Fall Classic?
Find out the answer to that question and what the Yankees and Dodgers may do this offseason with this preview of free agency.
Juan Soto Is Open for Business
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The best season of Juan Soto's career (41 homers, 128 RBI, 166 hits) ended Wednesday with a loss in Game 5 of the World Series. There will be no rest for the 26-year-old, though, as he enters free agency as the most coveted player on the market.
New York Post writer Jon Heyman previously reported that Soto is expected to garner $600 million this offseason.
He also reported that the Dodgers will make an offer to the four-time All-Star, World Series champion, and four-time Silver Slugger.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported the cross-town Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Toronto Blue Jays are all expected to be in play for Soto's services. ESPN's Buster Olney has long expressed that Soto will end up with the other New York squad.
Where he ultimately ends up is anyone's guess. It would seemingly be hard to turn down a deal from the team for whom he had his best season yet and helped lead to a World Series. At the same time, that same team's bats disappeared in that series, leading to a lopsided result and a 4-1 win for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The same Dodgers who may or may not be interested in acquiring him to really put their roster over the top.
The Mets are the one team outside of the Yankees associated with Soto from the beginning, and that team has the finances and World Series potential to lure him away from the Bronx. They seem like the team most likely to get what will be a massive deal done.
Prediction: Mets sign Soto
New York Yankees Free Agency Predictions
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Assuming the Yankees are not able to land Soto, where might the World Series runners up look this offseason to improve their roster?
The busy Heyman linked the organization to Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman and Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander, both of whom can be had for significantly cheaper than Soto.
Santander would theoretically replace Soto and, at least defensively, maybe an upgrade. He hit 44 home runs in 2024 with 140 hits and 102 RBI. He also made his fair share of incredible plays in the outfield and has long been the heart and soul of the Orioles organization.
Ditto Bregman, who has spent his entire career in Houston and could be looking to swap jerseys this offseason. He blasted 26 home runs, tallied 75 RBI, and totaled 151 hits in 2024.
With Soto predicted to go to the Mets, look for the Yankees to make a splash elsewhere, with Bregman more likely to join the team and continue his career at a position the Bronx Bombers could use an upgrade at.
Prediction: The Yankees nab Bregman
Dodgers Free Agency Predictions
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The Dodgers did not win a second World Series in five years by staying quiet in free agency.
It's not really their thing.
That will not change in 2024, with a few potential key additions in play.
Assuming Soto is not a realistic part of their future, the focus turns to a position of need for the team: shortstop.
Willy Adames of the Milwaukee Brewers is the best available and will sign a big-money deal, potentially with Los Angeles, that would keep the Dodgers in World Series contention.
The rival Padres' Ha-Seong Kim is another player who can contribute daily and provide stability at a position the Dodgers never got right during the regular season.
The play of Tommy Edman, Miguel Rojas, and Kike Hernandez may have some thinking that position is filled and the team is good to go with what it has, but there is no guarantee that those are long-term answers, especially with Hernandez and Edman's deals expiring at the end of the season.
Adames and his 32 home runs, 112 RBI, and 153 hits would make for an even more electrifying Dodgers offense and a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut.
Exactly what the organization loves.
Prediction: Dodgers get richer, add Adames
