Could Juan Soto make free agency decision before Winter Meetings? Here’s latest

Juan Soto could make his decision in free agency any day now.
SNY’s Andy Martino and ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez both reported on Tuesday night that it’s possible the Soto sweepstakes will come to a close before the end of this week.
That means Soto could come off the board before next week’s Winter Meetings in Dallas, setting off a domino effect on the rest of the open market.
“Everyone I talk to who’s involved in this at any level believes that the news will drop this week, before Dallas,” Martino said Tuesday night.
Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, spoke to reporters on Tuesday at Blake Snell’s introductory presser with the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
While Boras said Soto’s decision isn’t “imminent in the near future,” he did reveal that the outfielder has “begun the process of eliminating teams.”
The Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers are the five publicly known suitors for Soto. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that all “remaining contenders” in the Soto sweepstakes have officially offered the outfielder at least $600 million.
It puts Soto on track to break the record for present-day value set by Shohei Ohtani, who signed a heavily-deferred contract worth $700 million with the Dodgers last winter. That deal comes out to $460 million for luxury tax purposes.
A decision from Soto would be a catalyst to more high-profile activity on the open market. The teams that miss on Soto will have plenty of money to spend, desperate to pivot and address other holes.
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Max Goodman may be reached at [email protected].