More than 1/3 of the league has already contacted Juan Soto; are the Cubs involved?

Before the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers even participated in their parade in the City of Angels, the rest of the league has turned its attention to the offseason. According to Jon Heyman, 11 teams have already reached out to free agent superstar Juan Soto who could be eyeing a contract north of $700 million - with no deferred money.

That price tag almost immediately removes the Chicago Cubs from the conversation. This is a team that's never even spent $200 million on a single player - let alone blow past the half-a-billion mark.

The New York Mets and Dodgers feel like the early favorites. Steve Cohen's team has a staggering amount of money coming off the books this winter and Soto would be a major get for a Mets team that made a surprise run to the NLCS this fall. As for Los Angeles, well, we've seen their stranglehold on the top of the free agent market in recent years - and they can't ever be ruled out.

“We’re going to be available to every team. I feel like every team has the same opportunity,” Soto said last weekend “I don’t want to say anybody has the advantage because, at the end of the day, we’re going to look at what we have and how much they want me.”

Other teams mentioned in Heyman's report include the Giants, Blue Jays and Red Sox - and two unnamed 'small market' teams, as well. There's no reason the Cubs shouldn't be included in this mix, but, again, there's just no indication Tom Ricketts is ready to buck his long-standing approach to roster building and shell out the money it would take to lock Soto up for the rest of his career.

Soto did nothing but help his chances at that record-setting deal in his lone season in the Bronx, posting a career-best 7.9 bWAR with a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBI. A Gold Glove finalist in the outfield, the 26-year-old four-time All-Star could get a deal in the 14 or 15-year range, another reason the Cubs will likely sit out the Soto sweepstakes.