Juan Soto will be the biggest free agent next offseason. Currently, he is busy in helping the New York Yankees go as close as to their goal to end the title drought. Moreover, the Dominican slugger has formed a lethal duo with the captain of the Bronx Bombers. The chemistry between Aaron Judge and the 2020 NL Batting champion has been the best thing for the Pinstripes this season so far. Now, let’s see if the Judge-Soto duo can end the title drought that has been going on since 2009.
Every fan in the Bronx hopes that the Judge-Soto combination will do miracles. Moreover, they have been performing really well so far in 2024. If they can eventually end the drought, then will the Yankees go all-in to sign Soto for a long-term deal? However, Hal Steinbrenner and his organization have a big payroll issue. The owner had whined about it a few months ago, saying, “Our payroll is not sustainable.” Then, the next best possibility for the Dominican superstar is to be a New York Metropolitan.
In The Next Free Agency, Who Will Sign Juan Soto – The Yankees Or The Mets?
At present, the Yankees are in a good place to raise their chances of going deeper into the playoffs this year. They need to have two more good months, and they will seal their place in the playoffs. Right now, they can’t afford to worry about the players who’ll be free agents next offseason. There are just too many of them. However, whenever the 2024 season ends for the Bronx Bombers, they will be under immense pressure to figure out a way to keep Juan Soto with a long-term contract. Lately, MLB Analyst Tyler Ward of Bleacher Report predicted that the crosstown rivals, the Mets, will outbid the Pinstripes for Soto. He stated precisely, “Juan Soto will be a New York Metropolitan.” Since the Dominican superstar was part of the Washington Nationals, the Mets had their eyes on him. They even tried to trade for him. But the Yankees got him for a one-year deal from the San Diego Padres last winter.
Tyler Ward predicts that the Mets will unbelievably and heavily involve themselves in the market for Juan Soto. Previously, Ward said that the Mets offered a package that included some of their young assets to the National’s Mike Rizzo. But Rizzo had said, “No.” Anyway, besides being a target for the Mets, the Dominican slugger loves it in the Big Apple. Hence, Ward believes he will thrive at Citi Field. Right now, with the Yankees, Soto has been proving that he loves the city. However, Ward said that if the Pinstripes don’t win the ‘Big Dance’ this year, then he doesn’t see Steinbrenner go to the extent or the money that Steve Cohen will be willing to go for Soto.
How Can The Bronx Bombers Keep The Four-Time Silver Slugger Winner?
Last winter, the Yankees went all-in to land Juan Soto for a year. They knew he will be a free agent next offseason. But even then, they sacrificed a lot of pitching resources. However, that sacrifice has been paying dividends as the Bombers are enjoying a strong offense with the Judge-Soto duo. Moreover, the Dominican slugger seems to enjoy his time at the Bronx where he feels so much at home because of the huge Dominican diaspora.
But as he is a client of the well known baseball agent Scott Boras, it doesn’t seem like they will give any discount to Hal Steinbrenner and his organization for Soto. Recently, ESPN analysts predicted that Soto might sign a contract worth between $500 million and $600 million. Now, the question is whether the Yankees will go to that length.
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