Jeff Passan Immediately Shoots Down Juan Soto Contract Report

With Blake Snell now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, all eyes have turned toward the free agency of superstar outfielder Juan Soto. 

Soto's already met with interested teams, then he and his agent Scott Boras started collecting initial offers. Five teams, the Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, participated in the early round of the Soto sweepstakes. And two of them have already upped their bid.

READ: New York Yankees Going Hard After Juan Soto: REPORT

While most reports have suggested that Soto won't make his decision until early December, perhaps at the Winter Meetings in Dallas from Dec. 9-12, there was seemingly a Thanksgiving Day surprise that implied the 26-year-old was likely heading to Boston.

Mike Rodriguez, a former Chicago Cubs spanish language broadcaster, posted an update to Soto's free agency on X.

"I just finished a call, and sources from Boston informed me that the player spoke for over an hour with Rafael Devers about the team," Rodriguez said. "There is a 12-year offer for around $50M per season, and Juan Soto is interested in the idea of going to the Red Sox. Currently, the Red Sox are a strong contender for outfielder #JuanSoto #Rafael Devers."

Except Rodriguez immediately got shot down by one of the best baseball reporters in the business.

May 22, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA;  New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates with center fielder Aaron Judge (99) after hitting his second home run of the game in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Passan Shuts Down Speculation Over Juan Soto's Decision

Less than an hour after Rodriguez posted his update on Soto, ESPN's Jeff Passan emphatically shut it down. 

With a special Thanksgiving Day message, Passan posted on X, "I am thankful for reporters who don't make up stories.

"I am also thankful that Juan Soto has not agreed to any contract, which means you can get off Twitter and go spend the holiday with your family. Happy Thanksgiving." 

Doesn't get more clear-cut than that.

To be fair to Rodriguez, it's possible that Soto and Devers talked as part of the free agency process. It's even possible that the 12-year, $50 million per year figures are close to accurate. But it's easy to grab attention with speculation, and that speculation might be based on real conversations. Even if those conversations aren't actually concrete progression.

Based on earlier reports, Soto's free agency is expected to go through several rounds of bidding. And with teams already upping their offers, an actual decision doesn't seem likely anytime soon.