Juan Soto states he is available to all 30 teams in the league, but a majority of the teams likely will not be able to afford his financial demands.
Juan Soto was asked if he expects the Mets to go after him in free agency:
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) October 31, 2024
"I don't know what's the teams that are going to come after me. Definitely, I'll be open to this and every single team. I don't have any doors closed. I"m gonna be available for all 30 teams pic.twitter.com/3VICeWeney
It is hard to envision the Athletics ponying up over half of a billion dollars to sign Soto. They barely drew during their last season in Oakland, will play two seasons at a minor league stadium in Sacramento, and then still have to finance the bulk of their new park in Las Vegas.
Economic factors like the regional television money drying up and market size are going to automatically take teams out of the running. for the best free agent this offseason.
Straight up refusing to pursue one of the best players in the game who will be 26 next season because ownership thinks it is silly to pay the going rate for premium players should not be one of them.
Yet, that is what will take the Chicago White Sox out of the running to sign Soto. That is flat-out sad.
The team is contextually coming off the worst season in MLB history and has already announced it will not be major players in free agency.
It is not a bad thing to want to give young players such as Bryan Ramos, Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Dominic Fletcher, and their young stud pitchers runway to establish themselves as big-league players. That alone is going to come with cheaper salaries and a lower payroll.
There are still holes in the roster, and the club will ignore an easy way to improve the talent.
The White Sox enter free agency with just two players are officially under contract and just one arbitration-eligible player worth tendering a deal. You would think the Sox would use free agency to improve their win total from this past season.
Instead, having issues with their new regional television station and not drawing well has led the Sox to want to sit out free agency. Well, at least they want to shop in the bargain bin.
That has been the M.O. on 35th and Shields even before this offseason. This is one of two organizations that still has not signed a player to a contract over a $100 million--the going rate for players with a WAR over three.
General manager Chris Getz can claim he does not want to take shortcuts in turning the club's fortunes around, but it is also cover for an owner who does not want to entertain paying the cost of acquiring elite players.
White Sox GM Getz, resisting shortcuts, heads to GM meetings https://t.co/MleYbPmGlu
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) November 3, 2024
The organization famously tried to claim they offered the most money to Manny Machado when he was a free agent, but a portion of that cash was something he would have to earn. No wonder he decided to sign with San Diego.
Owner Jerry Reinsdorf literally laughed off the idea of the Sox pursuing Shohei Ohtani in free agency last offseason. That type of reaction is on the Dead Sea Scroll-sized list of why the Sox finished with just 41 games.
Reinsdorf wants taxpayers to cover $1.7 billion of the $1.9 billion cost to build his new stadium on the 78, and yet he has no attraction on the field to even give anyone a reason to consider his request.
Juan Soto would be that superstar, but Jerry is not even willing to entertain the thought of him being a reason fans would come to the ballpark. It is that short-sighted thinking that causes fans to chant sell the team every chance they get.