MLB Rumors: Juan Soto Bidding Has Surpassed $600M amid Dodgers, Red Sox Contract Buzz

It's going to cost quite the contract to land Juan Soto this offseason.

Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported Tuesday that bidding has already surpassed the $600 million mark. That isn't particularly surprising as some of the league's most notable teams are involved in his free agency pursuit.

The report listed the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers as the "publicly known" teams. It also said "all remaining contenders have made offers above $600 million."

While Rosenthal and Drellich reported there is an "expectation within the industry" that this offseason's biggest prize will decide by the end of the Winter Meetings, agent Scott Boras didn't sound like someone in a significant hurry.

"When you're going through these things, he's just got a lot of information to meld through," Boras said Tuesday. "We've had meetings with a number of franchises. He's begun the process of eliminating teams and doing things. Juan is a very methodical thinker, so we'll see, but I don't think anything is imminent in the near future."

However, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reported Tuesday that Soto's free agency "is nearing its final stages, with a source familiar with the process opening the possibility that the star outfielder could pick his destination by the end of this week -- before the start of the annual winter meetings."

Rosenthal and Drellich listed the Mets as the "favorite" and the Blue Jays and Dodgers as "longer shots."

They also called the Red Sox "a surprising force in the negotiations" and highlighted how "desperately" the Yankees want to keep him in their lineup alongside Aaron Judge.

All New York did last season with that tandem leading the way was reach the World Series for the first time since the 2009 campaign. While there is still plenty of talent on the Bronx Bombers, losing Soto would be quite the blow for their chances at reaching the Fall Classic for a second straight year.

A contract of more than $600 million would be astronomical, but it was just last offseason that Shohei Ohtani signed a heavily deferred $700 million deal with the Dodgers.

And Soto is just 26 years old with a number of seasons of peak production likely remaining. He already has a resume with a World Series championship, batting title, five Silver Sluggers and four All-Star Games and will surely continue adding to it at his next stop.

He slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs and 109 RBI last season and will look to put up similar numbers at his next stop.