Juan Soto has been enjoying his career-best season with the New York Yankees this year. However, there is no guarantee that he will stay in the Bronx for the rest of his career. The NY side will definitely want the Dominican slugger to stay with them. But it won’t be that easy for the Pinstripes to seal the deal in Soto’s free agency next offseason. He would be the biggest free agent at the end of the 2024 season. Some experts suggest that the Dominican superstar can earn more than the present-day value of Shohei Ohtani’s record $700 million deal. Can the Yankees offer Juan Soto a deal around $500 million? However, Hal Steinbrenner, the owner, had said a few months ago that their payroll is not sustainable.
Moreover, fans wonder if the Bronx Bombers are willing to pay Soto more money than they paid their current captain, Aaron Judge. But in the case of the California native, he may have given the NY side a bit of a discount. However, that’s something the Bombers should not expect to get from the Dominican slugger, who’s a top client of baseball’s renowned agent, Scott Boras. Lately, Soto returned to Washington, where his MLB career started. It seems the home fans want a reunion between the Nationals and Juan Soto.
What Juan Soto Had To Say About The Possibility Of Reuniting With The Nationals?
Greg Joyce of the New York Post believes almost everywhere the Dominican slugger goes these days, there comes a question about his future. Moreover, experts believe the two New York sides have the best possibility to sign Soto for the long term. But the New York Mets have a better payroll situation than their crosstown rivals. On the other hand, there is the option of returning to the Washington Nationals for the 2020 NL Batting Champion. He had won the World Series with the Nationals back in 2019. At present, the Washington team has been struggling to reach the playoff spot. On the other hand, Juan Soto said that he is very happy with where he is right now.
After he returned to the capital, reporters asked him about his future in MLB. In reply, Soto added, “We’ll see what happens in free agency.” A few days ago, the crowd at the Yankee Stadium reminded Soto of their wish to see him stick around. Later, the lefty slugger mentioned, “They have to talk to the GM.” On Monday, when the Dominican superstar returned to the Nationals park, the crowd gave him a rousing standing ovation while he was coming to the plate for his first at-bat. In reply, Soto took off the helmet to salute the crowd. Then, there was a faint chant, saying, “Come home, Soto.” It was faint because the stadium still had a Yankees-heavy attendance of 32,812.
Can Yankees Keep Him?
Experts like Jon Heyman and Ken Rosenthal believe the Yankees will go all-in for the Dominican superstar. But what if the Nationals or other teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers offer him more money? Previously, the Washington side had offered Soto a $440 million contract over 15 years. But the lefty superstar slugger had turned the offer down.
In an interview, a few weeks ago, Juan Soto mentioned that he wants to be part of a team that can win more championships. Moreover, the Nationals don’t look like a contender anymore. On the other hand, the Yankees always look like a contender, and they have the habit of making the playoffs.
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