After reports came out that the Mets set up a meeting with Scott Boras and Juan Soto, Jon Heyman of the New York Post is reporting that the Yankees have followed suit. Hal Steinbrenner will meet with the All-Star outfielder as teams begin their meetings and prepare to try and land the best player on the market, but for the Yankees, it’s a chance to make their 2024 season a long-term union. With Soto, the Yankees won their first pennant in 15 years, and if they want to remain the top team in the American League they’ll need their star duo to remain intact.
The Mets will prove to be a difficult bidder to outmatch as Steve Cohen is one of the wealthiest men on the planet, and the bidding could reach as high as $700 million.
Hal Steinbrenner To Meet With Juan Soto as Yankees Prepare For Sweepstakes
Jon Heyman is reporting that this meeting is set to take place in about a week and a half from today, and it will occur after the Mets meet with Juan Soto. It’s impossible to tell the story of the 2024 Yankees without the Game 5 extra-innings blast that Soto delivered to help send the team to their first World Series since 2009.
The loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers should serve as a pain that only fuels the Yankees fire, and if they want to get back to that point they’ll need Juan Soto back in their lineup. He set a new career-high in home runs (41) and wRC+ (180), as he formed one of the best offensive duos we’ve ever seen with Aaron Judge.
It’s a 1-2 punch that you can’t just create by spreading the wealth elsewhere, and it’s very rare that a 26-year-old in their prime hits the market as well. For Hal Steinbrenner, this is a crossroad where he’ll have to prove that his franchise is still the premiere destination in New York, as the Mets have quickly built up an excellent roster and have spending power.
Spending money works; the Dodgers won a World Series largely because of the money they spent this past winter and the Yankees finally got over the hump and made it to the Fall Classic because of the big trade they made for Juan Soto. It isn’t enough to make smart moves on the margins, you need superstars who can rise to the occasion, and the impact of losing Juan Soto could not be quantified.
It’s the first of what should be many bids between the Yankees and Mets now that Steve Cohen is the owner, and while usually, the Bronx Bombers would come out on the other side of that, this outcome is less clear. The Yankees have the presumed advantage of familiarity and continuity, but the one thing that’s 100% true is that money will talk the loudest.
With Juan Soto looking to become a $700 million man, the Yankees will need to be ready to dish out money that has never been handed out before in terms of present-day value.