Many teams have been linked to the ongoing Juan Soto free-agent chase. But a new column points to the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres possibly being mystery teams in the sweepstakes.
There is no bigger story in MLB right now than the red-hot competition to land the services of four-time All-Star Juan Soto. Entering the 2024 season Soto was expected to land a huge pay increase this offseason. However, after an MVP-level performance this year the speculation now is that he could land one of the richest deals in MLB history.
While every team in baseball would love to have the 26-year-old star, only a select few have the financial might to actually attain his services. From the start, his current team the New York Yankees, and fellow New York club the Mets were seen as the top contenders.
Franchises like the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies also have a chance at the outfielder. And all of the above teams have or will meet with him this month to make their pitch. However, there has long been a belief there could be mystery teams in the chase.
Well, on Thursday The Athletic offered up a pair of big-time clubs that could end up being the mystery team in the Juan Soto sweepstakes.
- Juan Soto stats (2024): 288 AVG, .419 OBP, .569 SLG, 41 HR, 109 RBI, 128 R
Jim Bowden suggests Houston Astros and San Diego Padres could be surprise contenders for Juan Soto
In a new column ranking the various contenders for Juan Soto, MLB insider Jim Bowden made the case for the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres surprisingly being contenders for the young star.
“Astros owner Jim Crane has historically been opposed to long-term contracts. As he allowed both Correa and George Springer to depart over the length of the deal,” Bowden wrote. “He did extend Jose Altuve and is working to do the same with Alex Bregman.”
- Juan Soto contract (Projection): 15 years, $705 million
Bowden ranked Houston ninth among potential Soto contenders and believes focusing on re-signing Kyle Tucker will be a bigger priority than Soto. As for the Padres, they were 10th in the rankings. But signing Soto is something Bowden would not be shocked to see from aggressive San Diego general manager AJ Preller.
“If the late [owner] Peter Seidler hadn’t gotten ill, he might have completed a long-term contract to keep Soto in San Diego,” he wrote. “However, that would assume Soto wasn’t focused on reaching free agency and he showed otherwise. It’s unlikely the Padres’ current ownership team would be willing to put another huge long-term contract on the books at this point. But I will never bet against A.J. Preller pulling off a surprise move.”
Related: Will Houston Astros trade multiple All-Stars this offseason to lower payroll?