It feels as though with each passing day, the New York Yankees’ chances of retaining Juan Soto dwindle more and more.
Even after Hal Steinbrenner promised that his team would give it a go, the Bronx Bombers do not have the financial horses to keep up with other clubs willing to go all-in on the 26-year-old superstar, whether that be Steve Cohen and the crosstown rival New York Mets, the AL East rival Boston Red Sox, or the Toronto Blue Jays.
Soto lived up to the hype in his lone year in New York, blasting 41 home runs following his trade from the San Diego Padres last winter. He was a key cog in the Yankee machine that won its 41st-ever American League pennant but fell woefully short in the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
All the while, he made it clear that he would consider anyone and everyone who inquired with his agent, Scott Boras, in free agency this offseason — and it still appears that he is going to sign a deal that offers him the most money (with potential World Series contention a second priority).
That immediately put the Yankees at a disadvantage, whether Steinbrenner or general manager Brian Cashman wanted to admit it or not. That sentiment continues to grow as Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings approach next week in Texas.
Yankees reporter Randy Miller of NJ.com told WFAN over the weekend that the Bronx Bombers will finish fourth in the race for Soto behind any combination of the Mets, Red Sox, and Blue Jays, adding that Steinbrenner and Cashman’s offer “will top out probably in the $550 [million] range.”
It has been a foregone conclusion that Soto is on the cusp of receiving a contract in the $600 million range, meaning the Yankees are well off on the demands of the Boras client if Miller’s report is valid. The Mets, Boston, and Toronto are capable of shelling out that kind of cash on a contract that is expected to run between 13 and 15 years.
The next week should spark a heavyweight battle between the free-spending clubs, as the opportunity to sit down with both Soto and Boras at the Winter Meetings next week should result in the conclusion of the sweepstakes, allowing the rest of MLB’s free-agent dominoes to begin falling.
