The upcoming MLB offseason is expected to be one of the most impactful winters of this generation. There are several Cy Young, MVP and All-Star winners expected to hit free agency. There are other All-Stars who could also be traded this winter.

We’re only a few days into the offseason and there’s already a lot of movement around the league. Players choose and terminate their contracts while others wait patiently for free agency.

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Over the past few months, MLB teams have been drooling over the idea of ​​signing Juan Soto to their franchise when he hits free agency. Now that Soto is in free agency, there are members of the media who are pumping the breaks a bit.

New York Yankees Radio analyst Suzyn Waldman appeared on the show Maggie & Perloff show Friday where she expressed her hesitance to re-sign Soto for the rumored price tag of more than $600 million.

“(Juan Soto) is really something,” Waldman said. “What he is not is a right defender… Are you really going to break the bank for Juan Soto and I still have to put Aaron Judge in the middle of the field?

“Everyone is so focused on Juan Soto. There are eight other positions on the field that you can’t fill right now… If you don’t fill these positions correctly, you’re going to play again this year.

Believe it or not, members of the New York Mets the media are on the same wavelength. Mets color analyst on SNY Ron Darling also spoke about his hesitance to pay Soto such a high amount.

“I don’t know why I want to say no. I just think as we found out in the playoffs, one player doesn’t guarantee you win a World Series,” Darling said (via Dan Bartels). “(Soto) is the best hitter I’ve ever seen and (Aaron) Judge has had as great a season as ever, but one player doesn’t make it, I don’t know, maybe you get two players at 300 million dollars.

Ultimately, almost every team in the league would be willing to mortgage half a billion dollars to bring in Soto.

Last season, the Los Angeles Angels failed to move a ton of coins they were supposed to trade at the trade deadline. One of those pieces was outfielder Taylor Ward, who had a very hot market around him all trade season. But Los Angeles didn’t move him. Now, heading into the offseason, they could capitalize on his trade value and move him this winter.

Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors seems to think the Angels could explore a Ward trade this offseason.

“Whether they’re embracing a short-term reset or looking to balance the MLB roster without having to deal with one of the league’s worst farm systems, there’s a strong case to make the move,” Franco wrote. “The 30-year-old left fielder has been the subject of trade speculation dating back to last offseason. The Pirates and Royals reportedly checked in at the most recent deadline. Nothing happened.”

Many teams around the league are reportedly interested in Ward, starting with Pittsburgh Pirates and the Kansas City Royals, as Franco mentioned. But teams like Cincinnati Reds And Philadelphia Phillies would also make sense. Plus, they have major league pitchers they could send to the Angels as part of the deal.

Heading into the offseason, the Yankees realized that Gerrit Cole was likely going to opt out of his contract. But he wasn’t going to opt out for free agency. Instead, his decision to opt out would force the Yankees to add an extra year to the end of his contract, effectively bringing him back instead of letting him enter free agency.

But maybe the Yankees are taking a different path here.

Jomboy from Jomboy Media recently launched a very intriguing idea for the Yankees to consider. Instead of bringing Cole back by adding an extra year of $36 million to the end of the contract, the Yankees could simply redo the entire deal. Under that assumption, they would give him five years at $40 million per year, but $30 million is in deferred money.

Cole gets a raise and the Yankees save cap money in order to re-sign Soto and add other talent to their 2025 roster. It’s the perfect plan that would benefit both parties.

The Yankees have until Sunday night to make a decision whether to extend Gerrit Cole’s contract by one year, or $36 million, or let him become a free agent.