MLB insider suggests Orioles could sneak into Juan Soto sweepstakes

Earlier this week, a group of MLB insiders discussed Juan Soto's impending free agency. The common thought is that Soto will land with one of the Yankees, Mets, or Giants, though there are a couple other surprise teams that could sneak into the mix.

Mark Feinsand suggested that the Orioles could be one of those surprise teams, due largely to the change in team ownership and a perceived willingness to increase payroll moving forward.

It's true that the Orioles have bumped payroll slightly in David Rubenstein's short tenure, including a pair of trades that seem to suggest that the organization is finally out of the clutches of John Angelos' penny pinching, and is ready to field a competitive team without sticking to a shoestring budget.

However, Soto is likely to command one of the largest contracts the league has ever seen. While he won't breach the total dollar value that Shohei Ohtani got this past offseason, it's almost certain that Soto's deal will exceed $400 million, and potentially push close to $500 million. And since Soto is still just 25 years old, it's expected that he'll be seeking a 12+ year deal.

Can the Orioles afford to shell out for superstar Juan Soto this offseason?

While there's hope that Rubenstein will lead the Orioles to higher payrolls, it's unclear whether GM Mike Elias would even be interested in making such a move. There's little evidence between his Orioles tenure and his time with Houston and St. Louis prior that Elias is the type of guy to spring for blockbuster deals like this.

Additionally, it would be totally uncharacteristic of this organization to go head over heels for a player of Soto's caliber. While former owner Peter Angelos did back up the Brinks truck for first baseman Chris Davis back in 2016, Davis is still the only player in franchise history to sign a contract worth more than $100 million.

We shouldn't expect the Orioles to suddenly become one of the highest spending teams in the wake of the new ownership group taking over, but it does seem reasonable to suggest that they'll push back toward the middle of the pack.

With Elias running the organization, an increased budget should do wonders in terms of getting this team over the hump. But Orioles fans shouldn't expect this team to go all in on Soto this winter. There are more pressing areas on the roster that need to be addressed and as good as Soto is, the O's might be better suited to spread their resources out to solve a variety of problems.