The New York Yankees made the biggest trade of the offseason, acquiring Juan Soto in a deal with the San Diego Padres. Completing that trade assured New York that Soto would wear the pinstripes in the 2024 campaign, but anything beyond that, especially with Scott Boras representing him, was far from certain.

Soto had a fantastic regular season and immediately became a popular figure in the Bronx. He almost certainly enjoyed being in the spotlight every night and will consider signing with New York long-term as a free agent. However, there is just one problem. All 30 teams will want him.

Only a select few can realistically entertain the idea of ​​signing Soto because he will have so much money, giving the Yankees a better chance of re-signing him, but even that is far from certain. It would hurt to lose Soto at any point, but losing him to any of these three teams would hurt even more from the Yankees’ perspective.

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The biggest threat to stealing Juan Soto from the Bronx is undoubtedly the New York Mets. No, they don’t have the history that the Yankees have and they don’t have Aaron Judge, but they have a few things going on right now.

As of this writing, they are one win away from the NLCS in what should have been more of a rebuilding year. The Mets came out of nowhere and captured the hearts of the city with fun gimmicks like OMG, Grimace and much more. The Mets are fun, and Soto definitely likes fun.

Additionally, they are run by the sport’s richest owner, Steve Cohen. If Cohen wants Soto and will stop at nothing to sign him, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner may stand in his way. As Yankees fans should know so well, it’s all about money, and the Mets have plenty of it. If money is the only factor, the Mets are a major threat, if not the favorite, to sign him this winter.

Soto staying in New York but moving to the Mets would absolutely be a slap in the face to Yankees fans. Not only would they lose to a superstar with a clear path to the Hall of Fame, but they would also have to hear from their Mets fan friends that Soto has switched sides.

As annoying as it would be from the Yankees’ perspective to see Soto in Queens, it’s not the worst outcome. The fans won’t like it, and of course the Yankees won’t like it, but the Mets aren’t in the same division or even the same league as the Yankees. These teams meet four times per year in the regular season. The only way they can meet in the postseason is if they make it to the World Series.

It would be far from ideal if Soto signed with the Mets, but it’s not like he can torment the Yankees in the same way he could if they stayed in the AL East or even the AL in general would.

It would be bad to lose Soto anywhere, but if the Toronto Blue Jays got him, it would be very bad for a few reasons.

First, if Soto were to sign with the Blue Jays, it would almost certainly just be for the money. Toronto is a great city, but not New York, and the Jays don’t have much to gain as far as they’re concerned right now. They posted a 74-88 record this season, have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette set to hit free agency after 2025, have an older roster and don’t have a minor league roster even after being traded at the trade deadline. Farm system worth reporting on. The Yankees being outbid by the Blue Jays would be a bad look.

Second, the Blue Jays happen to be in the AL East. Sure, they’re not nearly as much of a threat as a team like the Baltimore Orioles, but the Yankees still hit Toronto 13 times a year. The last thing a Yankees fan wants is to see Soto 13 times a year and not have him wear pinstripes for those games.

Is it likely Soto will end up in Toronto? Probably not, but did anyone expect them to be there for Shohei Ohtani? Sure, Ohtani wasn’t on a flight to Toronto, but he seemed to be seriously considering Toronto as a destination. If the Jays were willing to spend $700 million on Ohtani, they might also be willing to spend $600 million on Soto. Who knows, maybe that’ll be enough to get him. If this happens, it would be bad news for the Bronx Bombers.

You knew they would be here. There is no team that the Yankees organization and their fan base hate more than the Boston Red Sox, and Soto moving to that team would be the worst of the worst.

Can you imagine the Yankees having to deal with a batting order that features both Soto and Rafael Devers? Not to mention the likes of Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and many other very intriguing talents.

Luckily for Yankees fans, it’s no longer 2004. The Red Sox seemed to have forgotten that they are the Boston Red Sox, an organization capable of spending on just about any player they want. Yankees fans have criticized Steinbrenner’s spending, but that doesn’t even begin to compare to what Red Sox owner John Henry has done in recent years.

According to Spotrac, the Red Sox ranked 11th in total payroll last season and invested over $100 million less than the Yankees. This is unprecedented territory for a franchise that has a history of spending money to win at any cost.

If the Red Sox remembered that they are actually the Red Sox, they would give Soto a great opportunity. They are an up-and-coming team that has exceeded expectations this season, has a great farm system and a passionate fan base. She may Pursue Soto if they wanted, and should Be in the mix. However, there’s a good chance they’ll forgo a serious shot because of the organization they’ve become, giving Yankees fans a reason to breathe a sigh of relief.