MLB insider implies Juan Soto sweepstakes down to two teams

While it was said earlier this week that the Toronto Blue Jays "just might be the" team that keeps Juan Soto from either re-signing with the New York Yankees or joining the New York Mets in free agency, it was subsequently reported that Soto and agent Scott Boras had a "productive" meeting with members of the Boston Red Sox that lasted roughly three hours on Thursday night. 

For a mailbag published on Friday, MLB/Mets/Yankees insider Andy Martino of SNY was asked about the Mets' chances of landing Soto. 

"A good chance," Martino responded. "A solid chance. A big chance. They have the resources, ambition and location. As I’ve reported before, Soto was happy as a Yankee, which gives the incumbent team an advantage at the outset of free agency. But if anyone is going to pry him away from the Bronx, I think it will be [Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and team owner Steve Cohen]. The Mets are set up to finish either first or second in this sweepstakes." 

While there remain questions about how much Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is willing to spend, considering his previous comments about the team's overall payroll, he believes fans wouldn't tolerate a division rival outbidding the Bronx Bombers for Soto's services. However, Cohen has the resources to pay more than any other owner for a single player and a history of spending big, even if doing so means paying players to perform elsewhere. 

None of this means Soto won't meet with the Blue Jays or any other would-be buyers before he chooses his next MLB home. He is expected to reset the market for position players by signing a historic contract this offseason, and Boras likely hopes a bidding war will drive up the 26-year-old's price. 

Mets icon Carlos Beltran serves as a "special assistant" to Stearns and recently said the club "will go full blast for" Soto. That comment and Martino's update suggest that Cohen won't accept the All-Star outfielder playing home games in Boston or Toronto unless one of those clubs makes the slugger a shocking offer that includes more than $700M in guaranteed money.