Juan Soto free agency odds on where he will play in 2025 Yankees, Dodgers, Mets

Pain.

That can be the only word to describe the mood following the Yankees’ 7-6 loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

The Bronx Bombers held a 5-0 lead until a disastrous defensive fifth inning allowed Los Angeles to tie the game and ultimately take the lead for good in the top of the eighth inning and winning the world championship.

In the coming days and weeks, the Yankees will have to find a way to put the disappointing performance in this year’s Fall Classic in the rearview mirror and look ahead to 2025, with the organization’s World Series drought extended another year since its last title in 2009.

The No. 1 thing on Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s to-do list is simple: find a way to bring back Juan Soto.

It won’t be easy as Soto will be the most coveted and sought-after free agent this winter, requiring a team to pay more than $500 million to sign the 26-year-old superstar.

In what could be his lone season in the Bronx, Soto was sensational, launching a career-high 41 home runs and hits (166). He was the Yankees’ most consistent hitter during the postseason, which included his clutch, go-ahead three-run homer in Game 5 of the ALCS to send the Yankees to their first World Series appearance in 15 years.

With free agency looming, it’s clear that the four-time All-Star will take his time with the monumental decision of where he will play next. “We’re going to look at every situation, every offer that we get and take a decision from that,” Soto told reporters following the Game 5 loss on Wednesday night.

Now that the 2024 season is officially in the books, here are the betting odds via Bookies.com for which organization Soto will play for next year:

Yankees, Dodgers and Mets are betting favorites to sign Juan Soto:

New York Yankees: +275

Los Angeles Dodgers: +450

New York Mets: 5/1 (+500)

The Field: +750

Philadelphia Phillies: 9/1 (+900)

San Diego Padres: 10/1 (+1000)

The oddsmakers clearly see this as a three-horse race between the Yankees, Dodgers and Mets, given those are the teams that would put up the most money for Soto’s services.

Will the Yankees be able to re-sign Juan Soto?

It should be no surprise that the Yankees are the clear favorites here given the success Soto had in 2024 alone and his budding relationship with Aaron Judge and others. Left with a bad taste in his mouth following the World Series loss, the former batting title champion could want to finish what he started and sign long term in hopes of bringing multiple championships to the Bronx.

What happens if the Dodgers sign Juan Soto?

What would turn the baseball world upside down is if Soto were to sign with one of the other top two choices.

If he were to leave and join World Series MVP Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in Los Angeles, it would cause absolute chaos around the sports landscape. The Dodgers would sport one of the best starting lineups in recent memory with three-former MVPs, with Soto looking to win the first in his career.

The situation would compare similarly to when Kevin Durant, who was on the Sonics/Thunder for the first nine seasons of his NBA career, joined a loaded Golden State Warriors team in free agency in 2016, just a few months after they defeated the Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals the prior postseason.

What if Juan Soto signs with the NY Mets?

For Yankees fans, there might even be more hate if Soto decided to head less than 10 miles southeast to Queens and join the Mets.

With the Subway Series moving to six games in 2025, it would make both series at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium next summer must-see TV, with boo birds raining nonstop if Soto decided to choose the blue and orange over Pinstripes.

When will Juan Soto decide?

What we do know is that there could be an answer from Soto within the next week, as MLB free agency is officially underway and players can sign with new teams at the earliest on Nov. 4 at 5 p.m.