We’ve reached the internet breadcrumbs portion of the Juan Soto chase, and some online forensics work might have uncovered what we already suspected: Soto is about to get very, very rich.
The Mets offered Soto a 15-year, $700 million, at least according to random people on the internet, who think a TikTok comment might have come from the son of Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.
The comment and account have since been deleted, but New York Post insider Jon Heyman weighed in on the speculation during an afternoon chat for Bleacher Report, seemingly confirming four teams — the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays — have pushed offers in that “ballpark” across the table for Soto.
“Some internet sleuth claimed that he told somebody they offered $700 million for 15 years. I think it’s in the ballpark for all those four teams,” Heyman said Friday afternoon. I don’t think that’s a shocker. I think that’s where we are now.”
Heyman also believes there’s a good chance Soto’s deal ends up breaking Shohei Ohtani’s contract for the biggest in major league history. Unless, of course, the Dodgers end up convincing Soto to come to Los Angeles for a paltry sum of $600 million or so.
“I think he’s going to set a record (unless) by chance — at this point, the Dodgers are probably the long shot in this — by chance, he says ‘I’m not so interested in an extra ($30-60 million), it’s not a big deal to me, I want to go to the best team,’ so (the Dodgers are) still in it as far as I know.”
Heyman stressed he doesn’t believe there’s a ton of separation among the four favorites.
“I suspect all four teams are in that range of $700 million now,” he added. “Some of them maybe a little bit over, some of them a little bit under.”
As for the Red Sox being a “dark horse,” Heyman pushed back on that narrative.
“I’m not calling anybody a dark horse,” he said.
That’s certainly good news for Sox fans, although it seemingly indicates a resolution isn’t especially close.
