According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, no one believes the Toronto Blue Jays will sign Juan Soto unless they massively overpay in free agency.

Nightengale wrote the following on Monday Morning.

This is a critical year with president Mark Shapiro in the final year of his contract, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette in the final year before free agency.

They will have no choice but to overpay free agents with players well aware that Guerrero and Bichette could disappear. That’s why no one believes Soto will come his way unless he significantly outbids the Mets.

This certainly makes sense from Soto’s perspective. Would he want to sign in Toronto, only to see his running mates and defenders leave? He might not care if he’s offered the most money there, which is what Nightengale is arguing.

The Blue Jays have plenty of financial flexibility moving forward and likely have room for Soto and a long-term extension for Guerrero Jr., but it’s not a guarantee that will happen, which could make Soto nervous.

Toronto is coming off a season in which they went 74-88 and finished last in the American League East. Soto is coming off a year in which he hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs for the New York Yankees, helping them reach the World Series. At 26 years old, Soto is one of the best hitters in all of baseball. He has already won a World Series title (2019) and a batting title.

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