The Juan Soto sweepstakes is heating up, with several contenders (and wannabe contenders) checking in on the four-time All-Star. Coming off his best season to date, Soto is a candidate to break Shohei Ohtani’s record for the most valuable contract in MLB history. While Ohtani accepted record deferment from LA, Soto is expected to take his money up front.

The scale of this race is taking shape pretty quickly. There is a two-horse race at the top, with New York Mets and the seated one New York Yankees barknoga argue over the offseason’s most coveted goal. Then there are the sleepers — the ambitious front offices eager to throw a wrench in this whole deal. We have heard of potential positive pull with Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jaysand Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s “level two”, so to speak.

However, they are not the only teams doing their due diligence on Soto. The Tampa Bay Rays famously placed one phone callsand now another small market club has thrown its hat in the ring, if only for a little while.

According to Jon Heyman of New York Postthe Kansas City Royals explored the possibility of adding Soto. Unfortunately, it’s just never going to happen.

“The Royals were a second small-market team to check out Juan Soto,” Heyman writes. “But ultimately it’s not a financial fit. Can’t blame the Rays for checking in either. But here’s their reality: They traded CF Jose Siri in part to save a couple million.”

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This is a fun hypothetical. The Royals faced Soto and the Yankees first hand in the ALDS, a matchup New York dominated. Kansas City is on the rise, though, and adding Soto to a lineup that already includes AL MVP runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. would launch the Royals into a new age of strife. With 24-year-old Witt and 26-year-old Soto both signed to long-term deals, KC would be poised to seriously contend for the next decade.

Unfortunately, Soto’s free agency is more than a baseball proposition. It’s a financial proposition, and the Scott Boras client has made it very clear that he’s willing to go anywhere, as long as there’s enough cash in his bank account. The royal ones increased their spending last offseason and could do so this winter, but there’s a difference between adding some solid pitchers and shelling out $600 million plus for Juan Soto. It just exists.

Kansas City is the real deal, folks, and Bobby Witt has an MVP award or two in his future. This development should not dampen the excitement around the fandom, as it is quite possible to build a winner without committing half of a small country’s GDP to a single player. Soto would obviously boost the Royals’ standing in the AL, but there are other methods of improvement. In the wise words of Brad Pitt’s Billy Beane… the unit!

Let Kansas City develop its underdog persona while big-city clubs wring their hands over the potential of spending a decade of significant money on an outfielder who can’t pitch, defend or run the bases very well.