Juan Soto has ‘good meeting’ with Yankees amid Mets, Dodgers and Red Sox rumors

The New York Yankees had a good first meeting with Juan Soto as they began their efforts to convince the megastar free agent to stay in The Bronx.

Owner Hal Steinbrenner told reporters that the two sides had a “good meeting,” with a “very honest back-and-forth dialogue” from both sides as the outfielder begins what promises to be a very lucrative offseason for him.

The 26-year-old Soto is by far the biggest no-name player on the market this season and has made no secret of the fact that he is going shopping. And considering bat skills are most often compared to those of Ted Williams, that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Soto has met so far with the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, all major teams that have the payroll for what could very well be a $600 million contract for the sweet-swinging outfielder. That number of teams will grow, with clubs like the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants and possibly the Philadelphia Phillies likely also interested in signing him.

RELATED: Juan Soto ‘impressed’ by Red Sox during ‘productive’ first meeting

The Yankees’ biggest competition in the hunt for Soto figures is the Mets. Backed by Steve Cohen’s sizable checkbook, the Yankees’ crosstown rivals have shown a willingness to spend enormous amounts of cash to get what they want since Cohen bought the team.

But it’s the Yankees who have the most to lose in this race. Anyone who has watched the Bronx Bombers over the last three to four years knows how flawed their roster has been. Soto’s 41 home runs and .989 OPS exposed a lot of flaws in a lineup that was largely punchless outside of the pair of pinstriped superstars, and certainly didn’t feature anyone the pitchers feared outside of the pair. Without Soto, New York’s roster looks exponentially worse, but will Steinbrenner come up with the money needed to sign him?

When asked, Steinbrenner seemed to indicate he would be willing to spend money.

“Look, year after year after year after year, payrolls are similar to this year and the luxury taxes they produce are not sustainable,” he said. ‘That is the case for the vast majority of owners, perhaps all of them. Year after year after That doesn’t mean I can’t do what I want to do in a given year. I mean, we have the opportunity to sign any player we want.”

It’s still way too early in this journey to know if that’s true or not, but Yankees fans can at least rest easy knowing that their owner seems willing to spend the money this time.

MORE TOP STORIES From the great leadership

CFB: Nightmare CFP scenario for Indiana and the commission

N.F.L.: What will it cost the Jets to get out of Rodgers’ mess?

CBB/WNBA: Caitlin Clark goes viral because she gets frustrated with referees

NBA: Most likely trade destination for Giannis Antetokounmpo