MLB Insider: Former Washington Nationals Slugger's Decision Coming Soon

An MLB insider has shared a potential timeline for when we can expect a former Washington Nationals star to sign in free agency.

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) hits a solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Former Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto is the crown jewel of this offseason’s free agency class.

Rarely does a player of that caliber reach free agency at any point in their career, let alone before they have even reached their prime years. Incredibly productive already and only 26 years old, it is easy to project a long-term contract aging quite well for whichever team is lucky enough to sign him.

To this point, there have been rumors swirling about which teams are in on him. It sounds like he has narrowed things down in recent days, with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers being loosely linked in addition to the New York Mets and New York Yankees, who have been viewed as the favorites.

When will he reveal his decision on which team to sign with? MLB insider Jon Morosi shared an update on a potential timeline during an appearance on MLB Network’s Hot Stove.

"I believe that we will know where Juan Soto is going within the next 10 days..." he shared during the telecast.

"I believe that we will know where Juan Soto is going within the next 10 days..."

- @jonmorosi on #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/hMpKZnIb3I

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 2, 2024

That timeline would bring us right to the early portion of the Winter Meetings, where all sorts of free agency deals and trades go down as every team is represented there by front office personnel.

As Morosi shared in the video, that lines up with what other Scott Boras clients have done in the past. The early portion of the Winter Meetings is when Stephen Strasburg, Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon landing megadeals.

Soto is expected to blow those contracts out of the water, as the MLB insider also hypothesized what kind of contract he could receive. He referenced deals that the Mets have given out in the past as a potential baseline for what the superstar outfielder could be looking at.

They have shown a willingness to spend, as Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer both signed deals with annual average values of $43.3 million. Using that number and matching the length of Soto’s deal with the one of Aaron Judge, which pays him through age 39, he would clear $600 million.

Morosi isn’t reporting that is an offer that has been made, or that the former Nationals star will even be receiving a deal of that size. But, it is an interesting exercise to see just how wild the offers can get.

As an everyday player, compared to a starting pitcher who takes the mound once every five days, he could demand even more money. That doesn’t even take into account the other positive factors working in his favor such as his age, productivity to this point and future production projections, which are all excellent.