MLB insider adds confusion to SF Giants pursuit of superstar outfielder

Are the SF Giants meeting with superstar outfielder Juan Soto? Are they not? Do Ross and Rachel get together in the end? Does anyone know at this point? It is a confusing time.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the Giants do not have a meeting set up with Soto, citing team sources. This is in direct contrast to a report from Jon Heyman of The New York Post from Monday indicating that the Giants were among eight teams scheduled to meet with the left-handed bat.

MLB insider adds confusion to SF Giants pursuit of superstar outfielder

The offseason recruiting is fully underway and the Giants are seemingly not part of that mix if the latest news is accurate. Of course, this could change in the next day or so depending on which way the wind is blowing.

Stark's report does better align with the team's plan to cut payroll in 2025. Soto is poised to land a historic contract in free agency and that contract would run counter to any team trying to manage of slash payroll.

There is a good chance that Heyman was leaking info directly from Scott Boras to add more teams to the market. This is done to create the impression that one of his clients will seriously consider more than one or two teams. The Giants are getting ahead of that by conveying that they are not meeting with Soto at this point in time.

The Giants have not had any success landing superstar free agents over the past couple of decades. Plus, they just completed their third-straight disappointing season while finishing in a distant fourth place in a competitive NL West.

They cannot necessarily promise Soto the opportunity to compete like some of his other prospective suitors. While the contract carries much of the weight in contract talks, qualitative factors like geography and the opportunity to compete are factored in as well.

Plus, the Giants are more than just one Soto away from being a legitimate contender. They would need to push the payroll beyond any previous benchmark to become competitive again. While that would lead to more ticket sales, there is no guarantee that it would get the return on investment that the organization desires.

So, free agency is beginning with conflicting reports about Soto and the Giants. Perhaps, this is a good moment of self-awareness that they would have had an extremely slim chance of even being a legitimate suitor for Soto. Looking elsewhere to upgrade the roster is a better use of the front office's time.