WFAN radio host and SNY MLB analyst Sal Licata believes the New York Yankees should seriously consider offers for All-Star outfielder Juan Soto ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.
“They’re not gonna do it, but they’d be better off doing it … this team has failed year after year,” Licata said about the Yankees during Friday’s edition of the WFAN “Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata” program, as shared by the Audacy website. “It’s the same thing. The smarter move to me would be to sell Juan Soto. That’s the piece because there’s really nothing else.”
As noted by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the struggling Yankees lost for the 18th time in 25 games when they suffered a 5-4 defeat at the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night. Pockets of fans are calling for team owner Hal Steinbrenner to fire manager Aaron Boone as the once 50-22 Bronx Bombers began Friday at 56-39.
Regarding Soto’s short-term future, it was reported Thursday evening that Steinbrenner and the rest of the Yankees’ front office “seem to be convinced now” that the 25-year-old won’t sign an extension amid the ongoing season and instead will reach free agency this fall. Big-spending New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is widely expected to pursue Soto following the World Series, and the slugger could look to receive roughly $600M in guaranteed money via his next contract.
“They’re cooked,” Licata said about the Yankees selling instead of buying ahead of the trade deadline. “They’re not worth saving. How can you invest in this team? It’s a lot of different things with this team. They’re not worth investing in. Take the emotion out of it … they don’t have a good team.”
There is, of course, no indication Steinbrenner will punt on the season despite the club’s less-than-stellar month. After all, the Yankees ended Thursday’s MLB action in possession of an American League wild-card playoff berth and just two games back of the first-place Baltimore Orioles in the AL East standings.
Licata may ultimately be right that a franchise that hasn’t participated in a World Series since 2009 could again fall short of its ultimate goal. As much as the Yankees’ future would likely benefit from the club trading Soto, he’s not going anywhere barring a total team collapse over the next few weeks.
