In a busy offseason for Major League Baseball, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has been diligent at work, engaging in talks with renowned agent Scott Boras about some of the game’s biggest stars.
Cashman revealed that he has already had conversations with Boras about retaining the services of star outfielder Juan Soto, whom the Yankees acquired in a mid-season trade last year. At just 26 years old, Soto is a free agent and expected to command a record-breaking contract of over $500 million.
“I had a chance to thank him for everything and told him we’d be in touch,” Cashman said of his post-season chat with Soto. Since then, I’ve also had conversations with Scott, who will help him understand the dance steps that Juan Soto desires and ensure we stay updated.
Soto’s three-run, 10th-inning homer in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians was a turning point that helped the Yankees earn their first pennant since 2009. After the World Series defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Soto said he would be “available for all 30 teams.”
But the Yankees appear determined to keep the young superstar in the Bronx, with Cashman stating the team is “willing to meet with Soto as often as the player wanted” in their pursuit of re-signing him.
“Clearly that pressure point’s not on us today, but it does exist in the marketplace every winter, so those are the tough decisions you have to make,” Cashman said. In addition to Soto, Cashman also discussed another power-hitting superstar with Boras, Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. After the 2024 season, Alonso, who recently celebrated his 28th birthday, will enter free agency.
Cashman downplayed the idea that the Mets, under billionaire owner Steve Cohen, would be the Yankees’ main rival. “They want to win. They’re in a large market with us. They had a taste of success this year, and they want to move the needle even more forward,” Cashman said. “That’s just the nature of the beast, and big-market owners with deep pockets aren’t the only ones signing players to big deals.”
Industry executives believe the race for Soto’s services will ultimately come down to a “two-horse race” between the Yankees and Mets, with the slugger preferring to stay on the East Coast.
“It’s the Yankees or the Mets,” one American League executive said. “He knows the Yankees well after spending a year there, and Steve Cohen has enough money to give him whatever he wants if he decides he wants him badly enough. It’s tough for me to see Soto winding up anywhere else.”
Other teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Washington Nationals may express interest, but the prevailing sentiment is that Soto will end up in New York one way or another.
As for the Yankees’ crosstown rivals, Cashman acknowledged the Mets’ deep pockets and stated that “big-market owners with deep pockets aren’t the only ones signing players to big deals.”
With the stage set for a high-stakes bidding war, the offseason promises to be an exciting time for baseball fans, particularly those in the Big Apple eagerly awaiting Soto’s decision on where he’ll ply his trade for the next decade or more.