Featured Columnist IVNovember 6, 2024
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New York Yankees normal supervisor Brian Cashman indicated Wednesday that he’s ready to make a powerful play to retain famous person outfielder Juan Soto in free company.
In line with the Related Press (h/t ESPN), Soto acknowledged that whereas different choices can be found to him in free company, he intends to do all he can to be able to preserve Soto in pinstripes:
“We actually have an curiosity in retaining him and we’ll put our greatest foot ahead there. That can both result in us retaining him and signing him again or we’ll be compelled to go to a special course if we won’t. And if we won’t, there’s a number of totally different gamers on this market that may positively affect this roster in several methods. Clearly that strain level’s not on us at the moment, but it surely does exist within the market each winter, so these are the powerful selections you need to make.”
The Yankees acquired Soto in a blockbuster commerce with the San Diego Padres final offseason, and he went on to have arguably the most effective season of his profession, main the Yanks to a World Sequence look.
In his solely season with the Yankees to this point, Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 dwelling runs, 109 RBI and 128 runs scored. He additionally hit .327 with 4 homers and 9 RBI in 14 playoff video games.
Soto is more likely to end third within the American League MVP voting behind teammate Aaron Choose and Kansas Metropolis Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., and he’s more likely to take dwelling a Silver Slugger Award as properly.
The benchmark for MLB contracts presently is the 10-year, $700 million deal Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers final offseason.
Whereas it could be tough for Soto to succeed in that quantity for the reason that Dodgers signed Ohtani primarily based on each his hitting and pitching, Soto only recently turned 26 years previous, so his age might work in his favor.
The Yankees confirmed a willingness to pay up to be able to preserve a famous person final offseason, re-signing Choose on a nine-year, $360 million contract.
They already let a number of different notable gamers hit free company, together with Gleyber Torres, Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Alex Verdugo and Anthony Rizzo, which suggests the Yankees could also be build up a warfare chest of funds to make use of on a brand new Soto deal.
Cashman has been in talks with Scott Boras, who is just not solely Soto’s agent, but in addition that of first baseman Pete Alonso, who Cashman admitted to discussing.
Alonso would undoubtedly be the highest backup plan obtainable in free company if the Yankees cannot re-sign Soto, as the previous New York Mets slugger has crushed 226 dwelling runs in six MLB seasons, together with 34 in 2024.
Whereas Alonso would supply Choose with some stable safety within the Yankees’ lineup, the mix of Choose and Soto was arguably the most effective one-two punch in baseball this previous season.
Other than cash and the chance to win, Choose’s presence might conceivably be the largest draw for Soto to stay with the Yanks.
It’s probably that solely a restricted quantity of groups can afford to pay Soto the kind of compensation he’s in search of and deserves, and even fewer can present him with safety the extent of Choose, who has hit a mixed 157 dwelling runs over the previous three seasons.
There’s little doubt that re-signing Soto is the Yankees’ greatest path to success in 2025 and past, and Cashman seems able to make a giant run at conserving the Soto-Choose duo collectively.
