It's no secret that the New York Yankees would love to have Juan Soto back next season and for many years to come.
After trading for the star outfielder in December of 2023, the 26-year-old thrived in his first season in The Bronx as he batted .288/.419/.569 and slugged a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBI in 157 games in the regular season.
However, after he and his agent Scott Boras met with multiple teams over the course of the past week, one baseball insider does not see the Yankees as the front-runner to land Soto.
MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post spoke to Brandon London on Tuesday and made a surprising statement saying the Yankees are third in the running for the slugger.
"I'm gonna say right here that the Mets, followed by the Blue Jays.....would be my guess today," Heyman said.
This comes as a bit of a shock from Heyman after many thought that both New York teams were the two clear favorites to sign Soto given they have the ability to make the highest offer.
Instead, Heyman listed the Yankees' AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays as the second team in the running behind the Mets.
The Blue Jays are coming off a disappointing year in 2024 as they finished in last-place in the AL East, winning just 74 games. After losing out on Shohei Ohtani last offseason, they are now searching for another big bat this winter who is also expected to draw a historic contract.
It has always been hard to envision Soto leaving the Yankees after he sent the Bronx Bombers to their first World Series since 2009 after hitting a go-ahead three-run homer in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians. However, it now sounds like both the Mets and Blue Jays may have a leg up in the race.
