Juan Soto sweepstakes: Six outside-the-box teams that should sign All-Star slugger, including Baltimore Orioles

By Matt Higgins

·Updated: October 23, 2024

New York Yankees, Juan Soto — Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

One of the best baseball players on the planet is about to get PAID. It wouldn’t shock many if New York Yankees All-Star Juan Soto could get upwards of $600 million this offseason. The big question is: which team will be shelling out that kind of cash for a generational talent? The New York Yankees and New York Mets will obviously make big offers for Soto’s services. Teams like the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies might even throw their hat in the ring.

But what about the teams that are usually on the outside peering in? We look at six outside-the-box teams that should sign Soto this offseason.

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles, who are coming off back-to-back playoff appearances, have a new owner who wants to make a splash. In a recent interview with NPR, David Rubenstein said, “I’m now 75 years old. It’s unlikely that I’ll be, you know, doing this for 20 more years. So I’ve got to speed up the effort to get a World Series a lot sooner than maybe some younger owners would.”

What better way than to sign Juan Soto? He could join an already young corps of Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, and Jordan Westburg. The O’s struggled to score runs in the second-half of the season and the playoffs. With Soto anchoring that lineup, they wouldn’t have that issue.

Cincinnati Reds

Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Reds usually aren’t big spenders in free agency, but it’s time to change that with Juan Soto. The Reds could have two of the most exciting and dynamic players in the game with Soto and Elly De La Cruz. Soto would already solidify in what could be a dangerous lineup in Cruz, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Tyler Stephenson, and Noelvi Marte.

Signing Soto would revitalize a Reds franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020. They could also have a new version of the “Big Red Machine” that won multiple World Series in the 1970s.

Kansas City Royals

Does Patrick Mahomes want to win as many rings with the Kansas City Royals as he has with the Kansas City Chiefs? If so, the Royals’ minority owner needs to push Kansas City to bring in Juan Soto. The Royals would have one of the best hitting duos in the game with Soto and superstar-in-the-making Bobby Witt Jr.

The Royals made a surprising playoff appearance, defeating the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card, before falling to Soto and the New York Yankees in the ALDS. Adding Soto in the offseason would cement Kansas City as a team to beat for a decade.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks failed to make the playoffs in 2024 following a Cinderella-like run to the World Series in 2023. The have a good young nucleus in Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Gabriel Moreno, and Jordan Lawlar. Adding someone of Juan Soto’s stature to the lineup would make the Diamondbacks dangerous in the NL West and could push them over the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the standings.

Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians were unable to dispatch Juan Soto and the New York Yankees in the ALCS, as they struggled to score runs for the majority of the series. If the Guardians want to make that World Series leap and win a championship for the first time since 1948, look no further than signing Soto. The Guardians would have the best hitting duo in the league with Soto and Jose Ramirez, two of the top five players in baseball. The two could easily combine for 80 home runs, 200 RBI, and 200 runs scored for years to come.

And you can’t forget about Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo, Josh Naylor, and Jhonkensy Noel. Adding Soto would make for a very formidable lineup.

Washington Nationals

Don’t laugh. It makes all the sense in the world for the Washington Nationals to bring Juan Soto back home. They have a young-and-upcoming team in James Wood, Dylan Crews, C.J. Abrams, and Keibert Ruiz. They also have prospects like Brady House and Robert Hassell who are ready to make an impact. What better way to invigorate the fan base than to bring back their prodigal son?

Soto grew into the player he was during his four-and-a-half seasons with the Nats before being traded to the San Diego Padres during the 2022 season. Soto was also part of franchise’s first World Series championship in 2019. If the Nationals want to become serious contenders again, signing Soto gets them there.