Do the Yankees have an advantage? No. – Carswellfamilyfoundation

NEW YORK — In a matter of moments Wednesday night, the New York Yankees went from being Juan Soto’s employer to being one of 30 teams that could pay for his services next year.

Soto, the 26-year-old slugger and the most coveted free agent in baseball this winter, made it abundantly clear that while the Yankees would certainly have a chance to retain his services in a trade that would likely top $500 million, his decision is almost will certainly be different from his powerful partner Aaron Judge.

The Yankees moved relatively quickly to re-sign the contract. Judge on nine-year, $360 million deal after he hit 53 home runs in 2022. But Judge was always a homegrown Yankee who soon became captain.

Soto? He became a World Series champion at age 21, was traded to the Washington Nationals by age 23, and before this season was dealt another blow with the Yankees. That’s a lifetime of mind-blowing moves in just a few years.

And yes, the marriage was nearly perfect: Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs, posted a .989 OPS, gave Judge a shot at AL MVP honors, and then dominated the postseason with a .327 batting average and four home runs. , 1.102 OPS and a pennant-winning homer.

And yet it’s all over Game 5 of the World Series, 7–6 loss. The Los Angeles Dodgers push Soto out the door early Thursday morning.

His Yankees teammates are eager to have him back. Soto?

“I think every team has the same opportunity that I have going into free agency,” he said after Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.

But the excitement of New York, the history of being a Yankee, the incredible partnership with Judge, the love he and his teammates say they all feel in the home club all make it feel like Soto would rather New York, right?

“I don’t think so,” Soto said decisively. “I’m very happy with the city, the team, but at the end of the day we will look at every situation, every offer we get and act on it.

“I don’t know what teams will want to come after me, but I will be open to this and every team individually. I don’t have closed doors or anything like that. I will be available to all 30 teams.”

So, the Tampa Bay Rays or Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t going to make a move on Soto. His market is actually no more than a half-dozen teams, with the likes of San Francisco and Toronto still eager to make a splash in free agency, Philly is always a live dog, and as agent Scott Boras will tell the masses next week at the general management meeting event, several mysterious teams will appear.

With that in mind, including the Yankees in just 30 may be a little jarring for fans who fell in love with Soto this year and understand how important he is to their future.

Not to mention his teammates.

“We’re lucky to have him here and it would be great to keep playing with him,” said Judge, who probably had his best all-around season ahead of Soto.

“Because he is a special player. I think everyone in this room wants him back. Besides the stats, he is a leader in this club, there are many little things that people don’t notice that make him one of the best, if not the best player in the game.

“He’s a scientist there. I’d definitely like to see him in pinstripes for a long time to come.”

For now, Soto plans to sit down with Team Boras and wait. Boras clients are known for being good at joining the free agency process, and while Soto won’t have to miss much of spring training because the so-called Boras Four done this year, he’s willing to let the market come to him.

This is not very good news for the Yankees, who, of course, knew that there could be no preemptive strike. As expected, the question they face is: How bad do they want him?

Fans have made their voices heard by serenading management with calls to re-sign Soto at various times this year. Did the chants influence him?

“It will probably influence the ownership decision,” Soto said with a laugh. “We’ll see how it goes.”

Judge says Soto should enjoy the free agent process and reap the rewards he earned during the six years of service that made him free. Fellow slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who signed a $325 million extension with Miami before being traded to New York, says he can’t offer Soto any free agent advice.

Well, maybe one piece.

– Maybe you’ll stay with us? he asked.

It doesn’t hurt that the Yankees won 94 games and the AL pennant. Soto will likely go to the highest bidder as well as the winning franchise (the two are often correlated), and in that regard, New York has an edge over contenders like the Giants and Blue Jays. .

But next month they will all be on a level playing field until offers are made, rejected and reviewed.

“It’s always great to have a champagne shower,” he says of the thought of returning to finish work in New York. Let’s see what happens in the offseason.

The Yankees are one of the teams. And we’ll go from there.”

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