"Ready to be the second after Otani"...'7642-903.1 billion won' prospect! The jackpot of a 26-year-old genius hitter is just around the corner

"Ready to be the second after Otani"...'7642-903.1 billion won' prospect! The jackpot of a 26-year-old genius hitter is just around the corner

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"$550 million (about 764.2 billion won) to $650 million (about 903.1 billion won)."

Jim Bowden, a former general manager of the Washington Nationals and a columnist for The Athletic, ranked players in the free agent market this winter. Juan Soto was ranked first by far.

Soto, who started his minor league career in 2016 and first took the big league stage with the Washington Nationals in 2018, played in 116 games in his first season since his debut and jumped to the starting lineup based on his 121 hits, 22 home runs, 70 RBIs, 77 runs, a batting average of 0.292 OPS of 0.923. Then, he played in 150 games the following year and hit 34 home runs, flying with a batting average of 0.282 OPS of 0.949 to wear his first World Series (WS) championship ring.

Soto, who played for five seasons in Washington, moved to the San Diego Padres through a mega trade during the 2022 season, shared a team-up with Kim Ha-sung, and transferred to the New York Yankees through a trade once again prior to this season. His performance in San Diego was actually unfortunate, but it was different for the Yankees. Soto played 157 games this year with 166 hits, 41 homers, 109 RBIs, 128 runs, and a batting average of 0.288 OPS 0.989, and in the postseason, he helped the Yankees make the World Series for the first time in 15 years.

Soto's overall performance at the Washington-San Diego-Yankees so far this season has been 934 hits, 201 homers, 592 RBIs, 655 runs, 57 steals, a batting average of 0.285 OPS, and has displayed impressive contact skills as well as three walks. All of his tools are so good that he is expected to sign the second-largest contract after Shohei Ohtani. Perhaps he will surpass Ohtani in the actual amount of money, rather than Ohtani who chose "defer (deferral).

Bowden also expressed the same view when he ranked Soto as the No. 1 prospective FA. "Soto lived up to his expectations by scoring .288/.419/.569 in his first season with 41 home runs and 128 points. Soto is expected to rank third in the American League MVP voting, following Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr.," Bowden said. "Soto has an OPS of 1.106 in this postseason."

Bowden then claimed, "By all indications, Soto is ready to become the second highest-paid player in baseball history after Ohtani. Soto is a talent that encompasses all players who can be recruited at the age of 26, and is expected to be able to sign a 15-year contract. Most club officials believe Soto can sign a contract of $550 million (about 764.2 billion won) to $650 million (about 903.1 billion won)."

Considering the currency's depreciation over time, Ohtani's $700 million contract currently falls short of about $500 million (about 694.7 billion won). Therefore, if Soto holds a contract worth more than $450 million this winter, he will be ahead of Ohtani in terms of actual contract amount. 안전놀이터

Then, what are Soto's likely destinations? Bowden cited the New York Yankees and Mets, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Texas Rangers, and the Washington Nationals. With the stove league just 15 days away, interest in Soto is getting hotter.