The baseball offseason is in full swing and it’s no secret as to what the main priority is for the New York Yankees. The top priority is retaining the services of their star right-fielder Juan Soto. Soto’s first year in pinstripes went above and beyond expectations as he had a career year while playing a key role in leading the Yankees to their first World Series appearances since 2009.
Soto will likely finish third in the AL MVP voting this year after batting .288 with a .419 OBP hitting 41 home runs and driving in 109 runs. Believe it or not, Soto was also a gold glove finalist in right field and he had an incredible OPS+ of 178. Juan Soto thrived in The Bronx hitting in front of the soon to be two-time AL MVP Aaron Judge.
Soto was the last man on the field at Yankee Stadium watching the Dodgers celebrate their World Series championship. Soto was taking everything in and once he hit the dugout, he immediately switched into business mode. The Scott Boras client made it clear that he would be open to any team in free agency. That said, it’s widely expected that Soto is going to remain in New York. The big question is whether he’ll remain in New York with the Yankees or if he’ll move across town to the Mets.
Yankees need to show Soto something
Mets owner Steve Cohen is the richest owner in baseball. He’s incredibly passionate about his team and he wants to make the Mets the premier team in New York. From day one, Cohen flexed his financial muscles trying to make the Mets a contender. He’s had some stumbles in free agency with a few bad deals, but the Mets are turning the corner.
They have a lot of money coming off the books and they are poised to make a huge run at Juan Soto. Their pitch to Soto is the fact that they made it all the way to the NLCS this year only to lose to the Dodgers in six games. Juan Soto could be the piece that pushes them over the top and he could be paired alongside fellow superstar Francisco Lindor.
That will be their message and Cohen’s full court press will begin next week when he travels to California to meet with Soto and agent Scott Boras. Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman has been incredibly transparent in the fact that NYY will put their best foot forward in trying to retain Soto and keep him away from Queens.
SNY’s Andy Martino has also reported that he’s getting the feeling that Soto’s love for his time with the Yankees gives them a big advantage. In fact, Martino believes that even if the Mets offer is higher for Soto, if NYY is close, he’ll return to The Bronx. I personally feel the same way.
That said, Cashman and the Yankees have to commit to Soto that they’ll improve the team heading into 2025. Scott Boras has already stated that Juan Soto wants to win and he wants ownership’s commitment to winning. We know that Hal Steinbrenner is committed to winning, but the reality is, there are changes that are needed.
The Yanks cannot run back the same team next year and there are areas that need serious improvement. One big area is first base. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale has already reported that the Yankees plan to be aggressive in pursuing first baseman Christian Walker. This would be a huge move for NYY that would drastically improve the team on both sides of the ball.
We have also already heard from JP Morosi that the Yankees are being aggressive early on in the reliever market. While the bullpen was a strength early in the playoffs, the bullpen fell flat when it mattered most in the World Series. NYY needs to strengthen the bullpen if they hope to climb over the hump next year.
Juan Soto is a baseball assassin and he wants to win. We know that the Mets can pitch to him the idea that they are on the rise and he would be the piece that pushes them over the top. I could also see them making the argument that they played the Dodgers better than the Yankees did last year whether that’s factual or not. That’s going to be appealing to Juan Soto.
Yes, the Yankees have a big advantage in the fact that he’s already played with the team and from a statistical standpoint, he’d be better off hitting in Yankee Stadium in front of the best player in baseball, Aaron Judge. However, that alone won’t be enough. The Yankees have to show Juan Soto that they are going to make the necessary changes to hopefully get them to a parade next year and not repeat the same heartbreak that Soto had after the final out in 2024.