Former MLB star Harold Reynolds caused a bit of a stir when he suggested that not only is Juan Soto likely to leave the Yankees in free agency, but that he has a better chance of signing on with the Blue Jays than coming back to the Bombers.
Not to belittle the chances of the Blue Jays, who were serious suitors of Shohei Ohtani last winter before he eventually signed with the Dodgers, but the notion of him leaving an especially good situation on a team that just won the American League pennant to go to a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016 stretches credulity.
And after he said it, Gary Sheffield Jr., son of former MLB star Gary Sheffield and host of the “Yankees Unloaded” podcast, was puzzled, to say the least.
He wrote on Twitter/X, “Harold Reynolds says the Blue Jays have a better chance of signing Juan Soto this offseason than the Yankees, whom he just attended a World Series with. It’s okay to think the Jays have shot at the player but to suggest there’s higher odds for that than a return is hilarious.”
Yankees Got a Huge Year From Juan Soto
It was not just Sheffield who found the report odd. The Blue Jays are in the mix, but the Yankees and Mets are generally considered the favorites to sign Soto, with the Dodgers lingering, too. Longshots like the Red Sox and even the Rays have gotten mention, too.
Sheffield’s assertion caught the attention of former MLB outfielder Cameron Maybin, who spent two years with the Yankees. He wrote, “Man I was thinking the same thing when I saw that! Like no way he actually believed that.”
When Sheffield mentioned that the thought process does not seem to make sense, Maybin replied, “I’m with you, clearly money talks…. but if there are even remotely close offers I think the Jays would be in last place on Sotos list!”
Soto is coming off an MVP-level season in which he helped carry the Yankees offense, along with fellow slugger Aaron Judge. Soto hit .288 in 2024, with a .419 on-base percentage and a .569 slugging mark. He hit 41 homers with 109 RBI on the year.
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