The Juan Soto Race Appears To Be Down To Two Teams

The Juan Soto race appears to be down to two teams.

According to reports, all five teams in the Juan Soto sweepstakes - the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers - are technically still involved. However, as the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings get underway from Dallas, Texas, the race appears to be down to two teams.

MLB insider Jon Heyman reported on Sunday evening that he'll be surprised at this point if Soto doesn't go to the Yankees or the Mets. Heyman isn't ruling anyone out, but he believes New York's teams are clearly the favorites.

"I’ll be a little surprised if he doesn’t go to one of the New York teams at this point," he reported live from Dallas on Sunday evening.

Heyman had reported earlier on Sunday that the Yankees are believed to have the edge over the rest of the field. As long as the AL East franchise comes close to what everyone else is offering, Soto will probably be back in the Bronx.

Soto loved hitting in front of AL MVP Aaron Judge this season. He hit 41 home runs with a .288 batting average and came close to a 1.000 OPS.

"Yankees’ edge in Soto derby all things being equal* is Aaron Judge: 1) Judge said from the start he didn’t mind/care if Soto makes more $ (Soto may get double Judge!), and 2) word is Soto loves Judge behind him in lineup and as leader in clubhouse. (*bidding may not be over)," he reported earlier on Sunday morning.

Many believed that by this point, Soto would have already signed. Perhaps he's just waiting for the Yankees to come close to matching what the Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays or Dodgers have offered. Or maybe he's just letting the entire process play out.

MLB's Winter Meetings should be quite eventful.