Dugout Diary by Joe Boesch

He's the most sought-after MLB free agent this Hot Stove, and Juan Soto knows it. The teams are lining up and saying "come to our team" speeches about how they want to win, and Soto is the piece of the puzzle to make them win.  Well, besides the nice speeches, teams will also need a large checkbook as he will be looking close to a career contract past $500 million. Only a handful of teams have that type of money, and the Mets are talked about as that team, with owner Steve Cohen willing to pay top dollar.  Even though the Hot Stove season is just starting, it might be drawn out as all eyes are on Soto. I don't see Soto making a quick decision on this; he's going to take his time and sign with the team that suits him best — money and winning. Until then, see you at the Hot Stove! — Joe Boesch 

Still recuperating from the Yankees loss, I decided to take a break from writing for a bit. What happened in the World Series is simply amazing — great managing by the Dodgers and poor managing choices by the Yankees. As they say, "wait until next year," to see if the Yankees have the potential to make it with a lot of decisions to be made specifically regarding Juan Soto. Where does he sign? Yankees? Dodgers? Mets? Wait and see as time will tell.  Until then…see ya at Spring Training. — Joe Boesch