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The Toronto Blue Jays have emerged as the favorites to land slugging outfielder Juan Soto. Soto is not a free agent, but the San Diego Padres have dangled him in front of potential suitors.
Initially, it was thought that the New York Yankees would be the top suitors to land Soto. However, the Padres are asking for a big return in exchange for the All-Star outfielder.
The Padres targeted Yankees pitcher Michael King in their initial talks. King is somebody that the Bronx Bombers do not want to let go of because they see him as a core component of their pitching staff in 2024.
The Yankees do not want to get rid of too much talent for a year of Soto. Soto is set to be a free agent following the 2024 season and will likely look to go on the open market.
Here's how fans reacted:
"This feels like leverage," one fan posted.
"This sounds like the Jays and Padres teaming up to do damage to NY," another fan posted.
New York Yankees fans do not see the Toronto Blue Jays as the best fit for Juan Soto. They think this is more of a leverage play.
The Padres are looking for MLB-ready or near-MLB-ready pitching, and that is something the Blue Jays can offer. LHP Ricky Tiedemann is their top-rated prospect and is set to debut in 2024.
Landing Juan Soto would be great for the Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays have had competitive teams lately, but they have been missing a piece to make them World Series contenders. They had their season end once again in the Wild Card round.
While they have Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., they could use another source of power to take the pressure off the duo. Last season, Juan Soto hit .275/.410/.519 with a career-high 35 home runs and a league-leading 132 walks. On top of that, he played in all 162 regular season games.
Toronto is under pressure to win now, with the fanbase growing restless. Their championship window is open, and it is not getting any bigger with some players starting to age. Adding a player of Soto's ability would greatly improve the team's offense, which ranked eighth in terms of batting average.
With Winter Meetings taking place next week, this is a situation that fans will want to keep their eye on.
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