Steinbrenner Says Yankees are Open to In-Season Deal With Soto: ‘We’d Like to See Him Here For The Rest of His Career’
Perhaps Juan Soto won’t hit the open market after this season – if the New York Yankees have their way, that is.
Less than two months into his tenure with the Bronx Bombers, Soto has been as advertised, leading the team in hits (52), RBIs (34), AVG (.302) and OBP (.403) while sitting tied with Aaron Judge for first in fWAR (2.3) through the club’s first 45 games.
It’s been a perfect relationship for everyone involved thus far. So much so that Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner appears ready to discuss a long-term commitment during the season with the 25-year-old superstar, who’s supposed to headline next winter’s free-agent class.
“I think we’d like to see him here for the rest of his career. I don’t think there’s any doubt in that. His agent, Scott [Boras], doesn’t tend to do deals in the middle of the season. Neither do I. I think it can be a distraction,” Steinbrenner said on a YES Network podcast. “But as I said in spring training … this is a unique situation and a very unique player, so I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a conversation or two had possibly during the course of a season.”
Soto, a three-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger, is earning $31 million this season during the final year of club control. He was acquired by the Yankees in a blockbuster deal from the San Diego Padres last December.
The left-handed-hitting outfielder reportedly rejected a 15-year. $440-million contract extension from the Washington Nationals ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, ultimately leading to his departure to the Padres that landed a massive haul of future assets in return.
Most industry experts predict Soto will command a lucrative deal worth at least $500 million. A contract he may not have to wait until the off-season to sign if his camp and the Yankees can reach an in-season agreement.
“I think it’s worth doing at some point,” Steinbrenner added. “I wanted to give Juan time to really settle in, have a conversation with him at some point and make sure that obviously the most important thing is, is this a place he can see himself for a long time?”
Given how well things have gone thus far, it’d be tough to imagine Soto dreaming of a more desirable situation than hitting in front of the 2022 American League MVP, Aaron Judge.
That pair has quickly morphed into one of the sport’s most lethal-hitting duos, if not the best in the AL. Soto’s focused firmly on the baseball field and fitting in with his new teammates, but he’s open to forgoing free agency if New York comes calling with an acceptable offer.
“They know the phone number and everything. They know where to call. For me right here, I’m focusing on playing baseball. My thing is try to help the team win,” Soto said following Thursday’s sweep of the Minnesota Twins.
Boras typically advises his clients to enter free agency to maximize the value of their next contract, and he could do the same with Soto this fall. However, there’s the potential for him and Steinbrenner to begin negotiations before then.
“Whether he picks up the phone and calls me or vice versa, that’s something that’s happened many times in the past and it could certainly happen again,” Steinbrenner said. “But again, I just wanted to, like you say, let’s focus on 2024. Most importantly, winning a championship this year.”
With Soto in the fold, the Yankees have enjoyed plenty of early-season success, as their 30-15 start places them atop the AL East and puts them just one game back of the Philadelphia Phillies for baseball’s best record.
It also has New York well-positioned to compete for a World Series in 2024, providing the franchise with arguably its best opportunity to end a long-running drought that’s continued since ‘09.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: dronepicr. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.