During Thursday’s edition of the SNY “Baseball Night in New York” program, MLB insider Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic poured cold water over the idea that All-Star outfielder Juan Soto could sign a contract extension with the New York Yankees before Soto reaches free agency after this season.
On Friday, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal offered more information on the subject that became a talking point after Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner recently said he wants Soto to stay with the club “for the rest of his career.”
“If Steinbrenner indeed opens negotiations with Soto during the season, he essentially will be bidding against himself,” Rosenthal explained. “Soto, who will hit the market entering his age 26 season, seems poised to put together one of the best seasons of his career.”
Ghiroli previously touched upon how Soto wants to reset the market with the help of well-known agent Scott Boras. She said on Thursday it’s “preposterous” to think that Boras would agree to a deal for his client ahead of free agency.
Ghiroli also believes there’s a chance that big-spending New York Mets owner Steve Cohen will have “an opportunity to lure” Soto away from the Yankees via what could be a historic offer later this year.
“Perhaps only a handful of clubs, most notably the crosstown rival Mets, might be willing to give Soto the $500M plus he surely desires,” Rosenthal said. “If the Yankees offer him that amount tomorrow, Boras will merely consider it a baseline, and go from there.”
Rosenthal also mentioned that Soto “surely wants to hit the jackpot” as a free agent.
Soto said on Thursday that his “door has always been open” regarding potential in-season contract talks, but the slugger was sure to add at that time that he is “just focusing on the game right now.” Across his first 45 games with the 30-15 Yankees, Soto recorded a .302 batting average and a .920 OPS with nine home runs and 34 RBI.
“Steinbrenner expressed the right sentiment in wanting to keep Soto, but he knows the true action will not commence until December, January or beyond,” Rosenthal continued.
In short, Yankees fans should simply enjoy watching Soto this summer and save conversations about his long-term future for after the Bronx Bombers play their final game of the campaign.
