MLB rumors: Yankees to meet with Juan Soto after he visits Mets, Cardinals listening to Nolan Arenado offers

Friday, Nov. 8 in the baseball world means the first full work week since the World Series ended is coming to a close in addition to the General Manager Meetings having concluded. Free agency has technically started, but we haven’t seen the qualifying offer deadline yet (offseason key dates are all here), meaning we’re likely in for a few slow days. 

Still, the offseason rumor mill never stops churning, so let’s get to it. 

Mets owner meeting about Soto

Every expectation this coming offseason is that the Mets will be one of the heaviest suitors for free agent right fielder Juan Soto. Sure enough, Mets owner Steve Cohen is headed to California next week to meet with Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, reports the New York Post. 

This is, of course, all part of the dance and by no means should anyone consider the Mets a favorite due to the owner meeting with Boras. It certainly doesn’t hurt, obviously, and Cohen has deep enough pockets to make the Mets the favorite with a gigantic offer. 

Of course … 

Yankees owner also diving in

Once word of the Cohen meeting circulated Friday morning, it didn’t take long for Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner to set up a meeting with Boras as well. It does appear to be a response, too, as this was the New York Post report: 

The exact date for the sitdown was not immediately clear, but more clear was the fact the Yankees were assured of a talk with Soto after the Mets have theirs.

The Yankees got one year with Soto and made the World Series with him. He also enjoyed one of the best years of his career, setting new highs in home runs, runs and WAR. He hit .288/.419/.569 (178 OPS+) with 31 doubles, four triples, 41 homers, 109 RBI, 128 runs and 7.9 WAR. He’s likely to finish third in AL MVP voting behind Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. 

The Yankees and Mets won’t be the only two bidders for Soto, but they certainly seem like the two most aggressive so far.

Cardinals evaluating Arenado trade market

The Cardinals are in for a bit of a soft rebuild here and though they won’t likely be trading Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray, they appear willing to listen on third baseman Nolan Arenado. They will spend the next few weeks feeling out the trade market for Arenado before making a decision on how to proceed, according to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

Arenado, 33, hit .272/.325/.394 (101 OPS+) with 23 doubles, 16 homers, 71 RBI, 70 runs and 2.5 WAR last season in 152 games. He’s still a very valuable defender at third base, but the loss of power is extremely concerning. He’s only two seasons removed from finishing third in NL MVP voting, but he’s owed $74 million for the next three seasons as he heads toward his age-34 season. He has a no-trade clause, too. 

Cubs looking for trades, not big free agents

Fresh off consecutive 83-win seasons, the Cubs continue to slow their upward rise and appear to be continuing the conservative path. Per The Athletic, Jed Hoyer does “not intend to deviate from the course” of the long-term plan and the team has already ruled out bidding on top free agents Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes. 

Instead, they’ll focus on improving the big-league roster either through trades from a stocked farm system or the big-league roster itself. 

Giants to reduce payroll

The Giants have undergone front-office changes, moving on from Farhan Zaidi and putting former MVP Buster Posey in charge of player operations heading into the offseason. Last year, the Giants had a payroll of over $200 million and had to pay the luxury tax for the first time. The plan now is to decrease payroll, reports The Athletic. 

The Giants will have money to spend this offseason, though, because they had money come off the books. Still, this report means they won’t be bidding huge on someone like Soto or even down to the Burnes types. This might include 2024 Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell.