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Juan Soto's impending free agency has the potential to break several records. Even though Aaron Judge and Soto have formed a good partnership with the New York Yankees, there is no certainty the Dominican will re-sign.
Many believe Soto's loyalty lies in money and not his baseball legacy. Former Marlins President David Samson is one of them. On Tuesday's episode of "Nothing Personal with David Samson" podcast, the former Marlins executive blamed Soto for the Padres missing the postseason in 2023.
The topic of Soto came when he began to wonder about the difference between the Friars of 2023 and the current team, who has tied the NLDS series 1-1 against the Dodgers.
"We all wondered what made them [Padres] so good [in 2024]," Samson said. "There are people who believe losing [Juan]Soto may have helped the Padres; as crazy as that is to believe, what's the thing that Soto doesn't have that so many players on the Padres have?
"If you had to think of one thing, I'll answer myself because I'm usually alone: a long-term contract." [18:44]
Despite his career-best season in pinstripes, many, including Samson, don't believe Soto would stay with the Yankees to win a World Series over a higher pay with a team not contending.
"Does [Juan] Soto want to be paid? Look to see who his agent is [Scott Boras], and then you’ll understand where his loyalties lie." Samson added.
"Is he happy in the Bronx? Does he want to win a ring? He would give up the [World Series] ring tomorrow to get guaranteed $701 million over 19 years." [19:13]
In 2023, Soto played all 162 regular season games for the Padres, but they missed the postseason. The Friars traded him to the Yankees after the season, and it has looked great so far for both teams.
David Samson on Juan Soto's potential suitors
David Samson also discussed the teams that could make a move for Juan Soto in his upcoming free agency. According to Samson, four teams could pursue the Dominican star - the Yankees, Mets, Giants, and Blue Jays.
Samson believes the Mets and Yankees are the favorites to acquire Soto's services. SF's inclusion was due to them appointing Buster Posey as the President of Baseball Operations last week.
The former Marlins President believes Giants and Blue Jays would be used as bait by Scott Boras, Juan Soto's agent, to bag a huge deal from either the Mets or Yankees.
