Marlins rivals can make a huge splash in free agency

I wrote about how the Miami Marlins rivals the New York Mets have a major off-season decision to make. They have another one as well. Will the game's richest owner Steve Cohen go after a generational slugger in New York Yankees RF Juan Soto? With other Marlins rivals making moves, the NL East could be even more competitive in the next few years.

Miami Marlins rivals could attempt to sign the biggest name in free agency.

Juan Soto's upcoming free agency is going to be historic. A generational player, there's going to be a record contract coming Soto's way. There's also going to be only a handful of teams that will be able to pay the hefty price for his services. I actually expect quite a few big market teams passing on signing him for various reasons...

A return to the Washington Nationals seems out of the question, when he refused to extend with them in the past. I don't really see the team changing their stance on signing him. The Detroit Tigers are unlikely to spend big while still rebuilding, and the San Diego Padres would not have traded him if they could've afforded an extension.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers have spent so much on their lineups over the last few seasons, that I just don't see a scenario where they spend on a record one. The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs don't spend much anymore. The Toronto Blue Jays will have difficulty convincing Soto to come to cold Canada, and there's no guarantee that they won't rebuild this off-season.

Looking at the Texas teams, the Texas Rangers will likely focus on pitching and the Houston Astros just don't give out contracts of the length that Soto is likely to demand. That leaves us witha few options...the Los Angeles Angels could pursue him, so can the San Francisco Giants, who keep looking for that elusive big bat. The New York Yankees will of course try to keep him, and the New York Mets will almost certainly be in on him as well.

Juan Soto made it clear that he's tired of switching teams. He wants to stay on one team long-term. The Dominican born superstar happens to play on a contender close to the largest Dominican neighborhood in the country. The Mets can try, but as long as the offer is competitive, he's not going anywhere. The Miami Marlins are unlikely to see Juan Soto back in the NL East.