Juan Soto will take his time in free agency, says Scott Boras

SAN ANTONIO – Juan Soto will take the time to research the free agent market before signing with a team, according to his agent Scott Boras.

At Wednesday’s general managers meeting, Boras indicated that Soto wanted a “thorough” review before making a decision.

“Due to the level of interest and Juan’s desire to listen (from teams), I can’t give a time frame, but it will be a very thorough process for him,” Boras said. “He wants to meet people in person. He wants to talk to them. He wants to hear from them.”

That includes ownership, even for the New York Yankees, for whom he played in 2024 and hit 41 home runs, with a league-best 128 runs scored. Soto helped New York to a World Series appearance, but that doesn’t necessarily give the Yankees a leg up on the competition in signing him.

“He wants owners who will make sure they win every year,” Boras said. “Owners want to meet with Juan, sit down and talk to him about what they are going to provide for their franchise in the short and long term.”

Soto’s overall contract is expected to be at least the second-largest in MLB history behind Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Boras declined to compare the two players, but stressed that Soto’s age (26) was a key factor in teams pursuing his client. Ohtani was 29 when he hit free agency.

“I don’t think Ohtani has much to do with Juan Soto at all,” Boras said. “It’s not something we discuss or consider. … He belongs to an age category that separates him.”

Both New York teams have already spoken to Boras, although there are a handful of other major franchises that could be in play for his services, including the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays.

Boras was asked how the competitive equalization tax on payrolls could impact Soto’s free agency.

“I don’t think tax considerations are the primary focus when you’re talking about a business opportunity where you can make literally billions of dollars by acquiring someone like this,” Boras said.

Boras and Soto are only at the beginning of what could be a lengthy process. What works in the player’s favor, according to Boras, is that Soto is “pretty well-known” considering he has already played on three teams and played in 43 playoff games, including twice in the World Series.

In his agent’s eyes, any winning team should be interested.

“They (team managers) are called upon to be championship wizards,” Boras said. “Behind every great magician there is the magical Juan.”