The New York Yankees made the 2024 MLB Playoffs. That was objective No. 1 after last year’s fiasco. Now, they want to go out there and win it all for their fans, who haven’t celebrated since 2009. It’s all easier said than done, though.
Juan Soto will be ready for a new payday after this season
During the last offseason, the Yankees brought in Juan Soto via trade even though they knew they would have him for one campaign before he hit free agency. It was a gamble on their part, a solid one. Here we are, in October, and Soto is eager to take the Yanks to the top of the league after an incredible performance in the regular season.
What will Soto do after the Fall Classic ends? No one knows, but he might chase the biggest payday and it’s hard to blame him. Yes, he loves playing for the Yankees, but he must love his family more and that’s absolutely OK. It will all come down to the offer New York is able to make.
One analyst believes the Yankees will be outbid for Soto
One MLB insider, however, thinks the Yankees will be outbid for Soto’s services.
“We don’t know really what’s in Soto’s heart — does he really want to stay with the Yankees, or like a lot of players, and by the way, this is totally their prerogative, some players equate money for respect,” ESPN’s Buster Olney said on Pinstripe Territory, per SI.com. “Is Soto looking to get a record number of dollars from one of these teams?
“And I do think in the end, the Yankees are going to be outbid by somebody. I can’t see Hal (Steinbrenner) going to nutty numbers and we don’t know if (New York Mets owner) Steve Cohen is going to do like he does with some of his art and just blow the competition out of the water.”
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The Yankees aren’t a lock to retain Soto
Soto is going to easily surpass $500 million in the open market. Everybody knows it, even the Yankees. So, are they willing to go there knowing that Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, and Giancarlo Stanton are already in $300+ million deals? There will be some money coming off the books, but probably not enough to make a competitive offer to Soto and not having to worry about the competitive balance tax.
You can imagine how much money will a 26-year-old slugger with Soto’s track record make. He just posted his first 40-homer season (41, to be exact) with a .989 OPS, 128 runs scored, 129 walks, and 31 doubles. Can the Yankees really afford him?
