Another American League rival met with superstar Juan Soto in free agency, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, but they pose no threat to the Toronto Blue Jays and their pursuit.

By Heyman:

The Royals were a second small market team to check out Juan Soto. But at the end of the day, it’s not about money. I can’t blame the Rays for their record either. But here’s their reality: They traded CF Jose Siri in part to save a few million.

Soto would get between $600 million and $700 million this offseason and he could challenge Shohei Ohtani’s $700 for the richest contract of all time. The Royals spent a lot of money over the past two seasons on Bobby Witt Jr., Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, but they don’t have that kind of money.

Kansas City advanced to the American League Division Series and pairing Witt Jr. and Soto would have been a fun idea, but the fact that it’s not happening is obviously good news for Toronto.

The Blue Jays have the money to stay in the race, it’s just a matter of how badly they want to do it. If they land Soto and pair him with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, they would have one of the best lines in all of baseball. However, they still have to worry about a future Guerrero Jr. extension, so it makes sense if they don’t want to spend every dollar they have chasing Soto.

THE Blue Jays finished last in the American League East last season.

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