THE New York Yankees are one of several teams expected to bet big on Juan Soto this offseason.

While the New York Post Jon Heyman listed six big-market teams — the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Giants — that will likely aggressively pursue Soto this winter, he also indicated that other teams could play for him as well. .

And a November 13 article, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report called the Chicago Cubs one of those teams that could make major waves in the Soto sweepstakes.

“How involved they were has always been a question, but the Cubs certainly weren’t out on Shohei Ohtani last winter,” Rymer wrote.

“If this can be taken as a sign that the franchise has an appetite for a huge splash, well, Soto is right there in front of you now, guys.

“He’s precisely the big player the Cubs need in their lineup, who hit 20-plus homers from three different guys, but only 170 total in 2024. That was as many as the Royals, whose stadium is the size of a national park,” he continued.

“Plus, the Cubs should be able to afford Soto,” Rymer added. “Even putting aside their frugal appearance according to Travis Sawchik of The Score’s ‘Scrooge Index,’ their projected payroll for 2025 is about $45 million less than what they spent in 2024.”

Despite these compelling reasons why Chicago should try to sign Soto, Rymer also explained why they probably wouldn’t.

“Look away, Cubs fans. You won’t want to read this reporting by Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney from The Athletic:

“The Cubs have no plans to deviate from this path, multiple sources told The Athletic, ruling out any pursuit of Juan Soto or Corbin Burnes even before all baseball executives and agents leave the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa.

“Cheap is a hell of a drug, folks, but it’s no surprise that Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is all about it,” he wrote.

Therefore, even though Soto is “just ahead” of the Cubs this winter, Yankees fans probably don’t have to worry about their 26-year-old superstar ending up in Chicago.