Juan Soto has all the power to go pretty much wherever he wants. He could stay with the New York Yankees and give them the best chance at dethroning the Los Angeles Dodgers who are spending without a care in the world.
Or he could hop in the subway and find Queens more appealing and bring the Mets a championship, which they haven’t gotten since the mid 80s. He could even dart for Toronto in a crazy move and build a contender with the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.
The cards are in his hands, all he has to do is make a decision. And he won’t take it lightly. But the decision he makes will have an impact on what happens around the MLB.
If he decides to return to the Yankees, it could throw a ripple in the Chicago Cubs’ plans to offload Cody Bellinger. Bellinger could be a sought after acquisition once Soto and Anthony Santander go off the market.
According to 670 The Score on audacy.com, the Yankees are interested in Bellinger as a backup plan, but if Soto comes back to The Bronx, that would force the Cubs to find a new suitor.
In that 670 The Score article on audacy.com, they mentioned the Cubs have a bit of a logjam in the outfield with Bellinger being the most expensive. In their farm system, they have three promising prospects. And on their current roster, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. Happ and Suzuki have no-trade clauses so Bellinger is the odd one out.
The caveat is he’s owed over $27 million this year. Chicago wants no part of that as they aren’t contending. Flipping him for younger players as they’re well in the rebuilding process makes the most sense.
Sending him to a contender would obviously be ideal. The good thing with that too is he’s relatively cheaper than what Soto would cost. This would be ideal for the Cubs too as they look to address some depth at some other positions as well.
It’s crazy to think of the domino effect that Soto’s signing will create. He’s the prized free agent this year. But whatever happens with him, it will determine how the Cubs can offload Bellinger.
