MLB Rumors: Juan Soto Contract Will Be Yankees’ ‘Top Priority’ in FA Amid Mets Buzz

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVApril 19, 2024

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Juan Soto has adjusted to life in the Big Apple with aplomb, and the New York Yankees are hoping to keep him around for the long haul when the superstar slugger hits free agency following the 2024 season.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, “the Yankees will make Soto their ‘top priority,’ according to sources—no surprise since they loved him in winter and likely love him even more now that he has transformed their lineup.”

Re-signing Soto would be huge for the Yankees on two fronts.

For one, the team traded pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez and catcher Kyle Higashioka to the San Diego Padres in the offseason for Soto and Trent Grisham, giving up a number of promising prospects in the deal. That’s a lot to lose for a player who ultimately ends up being a one-year rental.

And two…Soto is really, really good. The 25-year-old is a three-time All-Star and has started off his Yankees career in style, hitting .352 with four homers, 17 RBI, 12 runs, a stolen base and a 1.055 OPS across 19 games. That’s MVP-esque production.

New York Yankees @YankeesWalk. Single. Double. Home Run. Walk.
Just another day at the plate for Soto ☺️

Presented by @Delta pic.twitter.com/2oMVq4YEf7

In turn, a Yankees team that was one of the biggest disappointments in baseball last season has started the 2024 campaign with a 13-6 record, tops in the loaded AL East.

More than a few teams will want to bring Soto aboard next winter, however, with Heyman reporting that he’s “long heard the Mets may well go for Soto.”

ESPN’s Buster Olney also reported Wednesday that the Yankees “will aim to retain” Soto, though “sources within the Mets organization have said that team intends to make a run, too.”

Olney added that Soto could become the first player to fetch a contract worth $50 million per season and that his agent, Scott Boras, will seek a deal worth $500 million. The Yankees may find themselves in an extremely expensive bidding war, in other words.

But if there was ever an organization to make that sort of splash, it would be the Yankees.