Aaron Boone opens up about Juan Soto leaving Yankees

DALLAS — On Tuesday on the MLB winter conferences, New York Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone was open and sincere about his workforce not profitable the Juan Soto sweepstakes.

After buying and selling for Soto throughout final yr’s winter conferences in Nashville, Soto offered a lift for the Yankees on the way in which to the American League pennant final season. His .288/.419/.569 slash line and 41 dwelling runs and 109 RBI helped not solely pave the way in which for the Yankees to achieve the World Sequence, but in addition open the door to a bidding frenzy this offseason for his companies.

Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million take care of the Mets simply earlier than the beginning of this yr’s winter conferences, leaving the Yankees attempting to determine what strikes have to be made to be able to make up for Soto’s loss.

“It form of hurts within the second, however while you dwell within the enterprise and you reside within the sport — once more, it’s sports activities. It does not all the time go your means,” Boone instructed reporters on Tuesday. “It is now a chance for us to — and our expectation is to nonetheless exit and construct and put collectively an important workforce to go compete for a championship once more subsequent yr. That does not cease.”

Despite the fact that Soto didn’t re-sign with the Yankees, Boone made it very clear that he hoped Soto would return to the Bronx in 2025.

“Clearly we wished the participant again,” Boone stated. “Possession and the entrance workplace, I believe, did every little thing we may to make it occur. It simply did not. However as I instructed these guys yesterday, that is sports activities.

“In the end, Juan earned the best to be within the place that he is in, and he decided that he felt like was greatest. We went into this eyes vast open. It was a yr in the past after we had been sitting right here, and I bear in mind making the deal on the winter conferences. We knew there was no ensures of something shifting ahead.”

Whereas Boone will not have Soto within the lineup in 2025, he took the excessive highway on Tuesday together with his reward for the 26-year-old phenom.

“I believe as a lot because it damage to make the take care of among the gamers that we misplaced, trying again, I really feel prefer it was the best factor to do and served us effectively,” Boone stated. “He had an incredible season clearly with us.

“Personally talking, liked attending to know him and attending to be his supervisor and respect finally his resolution that he made.”