The New York Yankees have other more pressing matters to deal with at present. They may have clinched the AL East division title, but they know that the job is far from finished. It has been 15 years since the Yankees last won a World Series title, and they are looking to reclaim their place at the mountaintop of the MLB. However, it’s never too early to think about their free agency plans, especially when it comes to star slugger Juan Soto.
Soto has been everything the Yankees had hoped for and more when they traded for him from the San Diego Padres this past offseason. He has formed an electric partnership with Aaron Judge in the heart of the order, and his 41 home runs and 126 runs batted in would have been good enough for him to win MVP if it weren’t for Judge’s epic 2024 campaign. But the issue is that Soto is headed towards free agency at the conclusion of the season.
Now, splashing the cash has never been an issue for the Yankees. They are expected to give the 25-year-old right fielder the contract he wants, and he’ll be well worth the price thanks to his youth and his elite track record of production. But as per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees’ crosstown rival, New York Mets, will be looking to play spoiler.
“Early hints suggest the Mets will indeed play for Juan Soto,” Heyman wrote.
An executive whom Heyman talked to believes that the Mets have the best shot of luring Juan Soto away from the Yankees.
“It’s the Yankees, then the Mets, then everyone else,” the unnamed executive guessed.
The Mets, under new ownership, have not been afraid to break the bank for stars in free agency. But it’s telling that they have flourished following offseasons in which they weren’t recklessly spending on every player they come across. But Juan Soto is not your typical free agent. He’ll only be 26 years old at the start of next year, and he’ll have plenty of productive years remaining in his career, making him perhaps the best candidate to receive a contract that rivals only that of Shohei Ohtani’s.
The Yankees must go all-out in keeping Juan Soto
Rarely do teams come across 25-year-olds who have already tallied 36.3 WAR (per Fangraphs) in their careers. Juan Soto was a productive big-leaguer back when he was 18 years old, and he continues to improve his game. In fact, Soto is in the middle of a career year in the power department, and he remains one of the best in getting on-base — making him one of the toughest hitters to get rid of in the entire MLB.
Some duos are simply generational, and his partnership with Aaron Judge is one of them. The Yankees better do whatever it takes to keep Soto in town, as these two make each other and the entire team better as a result.
Soto could command nearly as much money as Ohtani got from the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason, and the Yankees should flex their financial muscle once more. There has been a bit more cautiousness from their end when it comes to splurging in free agency in recent years, but they should not have any qualms when it comes to going all-in on keeping Soto.
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