MLB free agency news has been hard to come by. Meanwhile, a new Juan Soto rumor dominates the airwaves every few hours as the baseball landscape tries to get a beat on where MLB’s best free agent will be playing in 2025.
The easy decision would be to re-sign with the New York Yankees, yet if that was so simple, Soto would have done so long ago. Clearly, the four-time All-Star is enjoying the MLB free agency process and is taking his sweet time to make the biggest decision of his life.
Only now, we have a better idea of Soto’s free agency plans, including when he’s expected to sign what’s surely going to be a record-breaking contract.
Related: MLB rumors reveal when Juan Soto is expected to sign historic contract
Juan Soto wants to go through ’rounds’ of MLB free agency negotiations
Which team will Juan Soto sign with? It’s a near billion-dollar question as MLB free agency rumors heat up this winter.
The 26-year-old outfielder has already met with multiple teams, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Mets. But he still hasn’t signed on the dotted line, so what is Soto waiting for?
According to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, Soto prefers to go through multiple stages or “rounds” of free agency negotiations with his top suitors.
“Offers for Juan Soto are expected to go through multiple rounds, a league source tells The Athletic. The first round is expected to be “preliminary,” meant to gauge genuine interest from all parties. The following offers/rounds, which could start around next week, are expected to become increasingly more serious, weeding out candidates and seemingly point toward a Winter Meetings-ish decision timeframe.”
The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty on Juan Soto’s free agency plans
It’s still not yet known whether these meetings or rounds will take place in person, but it’s clear Soto’s not ready to sign away his life just yet.
Meanwhile, Kuty’s sources indicate that Soto could “look toward deciding on a team sometime around the Winter Meetings,” which start on December 9th.
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