Only Juan Soto can decide if his future lies with the Yankees

LESS THAN ONE A year ago, the New York Yankees acquired Juan Soto, with outfielder Trent Grisham, from the San Diego Padres for five players headlined by right-hander Michael King. It was a lot of money for one guaranteed season and it turned out to be a bargain.

Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs while dealing with nagging hand and forearm injuries. He finished second in the majors behind teammate Aaron Judge in on-base percentage. He ranked third in OPS, third in wRC+, fourth in slugging percentage and fourth in fWAR. He and Judge were baseball’s most productive duo since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, when the Yankees won 94 games, the American League East title and the AL pennant for the first time in 15 years. It was a platform year that players dream about.

Along the way, Soto expressed his desire to be part of the team’s history while also becoming a respected figure in the Bronx. He embraced the roll calls in right field with air hugs. He peppered his production with theater. He shuffled into the batter’s box. He stared down the jars. He shook his head, nodded and smiled. His flamboyant ruthlessness made every strike a television watch. He didn’t deliver a pitch, let alone a plate appearance. His first year as a Yankee was unforgettable.

But now it can all be over. The Yankees’ exclusive five-day window to negotiate and sign Soto ends Monday. What’s next is a bidding war that could well exceed $500 million. It is possible to surpass Shohei Ohtani’s heavily delayed $700 million deal in today’s value.

Soto has repeatedly said he enjoyed his time in New York. After the Yankees clinched the pennant in Cleveland, Soto’s father, also named Juan José Soto, raved in Spanish about his son’s experience as a Yankee.

‘Spectacular. Spectacular,” Soto said during the celebration on the Yankees field. “The Yankees are the home of baseball. It’s the brand of baseball. And there’s nothing like playing for the Yankees.”

Now the younger Soto must decide whether to play for them again.

FIVE NIGHTS AGOJuan Soto, the son, sat dejectedly on the bench in the home team’s dugout at Yankee Stadium, watching the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate their World Series title as his teammates and coaches gathered their belongings. He was still wearing his batting helmet. His bat was still in his hands.

After staring at the mosh pit in the center of the diamond, he stood up, walked to one end, climbed a step toward the field, bowed his head, said a prayer, looked up at the sky and touched his chest, and then disappeared into the air. clubhouse.

The Yankees’ season, an eight-and-a-half-month odyssey, was over. Soto’s career in pinstripes might have ended there.

An hour later, Soto, who became a free agent the next day, was bombarded with questions about his future. The 26-year-old right fielder did not prefer to stay in the Bronx.

Have you considered that this might be your last game as a Yankee? (You never know.) Do you want to return if the money is right? (I’m going to weigh my options.) Do the Yankees have an advantage in re-signing you because this year has gone so well? (Every team gets the same opportunity.) Does geography matter? (I don’t think so.) Do you expect the Mets to come after you? (I don’t know, but I’m open to all 30 teams.)

“It’s always hard to leave a place that is a winning team, and this place was definitely very special,” Soto said that night. “It’s been great for me. I’ve been very happy. Whether I’m here or not, I’ve been very happy for the teammates I have and the people I get to know. This was a really special group, but in the end We’ll see what will happen.”

The next morning, Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, told ESPN that his superstar client’s priority is playing for a winner. According to Boras, that means “a commitment of ownership to be competitive” and “a system that offers great players and great pitching.”

“Juan loves winning and winning organizations and being a winning owner,” Boras said. “The geographic part of it is that Juan and his loved ones will feel comfortable. That’s the most important thing to him. And geography in the Major League… Juan has played on both: West Coast and East Coast. His main thing, the priority , wins.”

The Yankees face stiff competition for Soto’s services. The New York Mets, backed by the deep pockets of billionaire owner Steve Cohen, want him. The Toronto Blue Jays, the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies appear to be interested. The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants are looking for a franchise pivot. The Washington Nationals, the organization that signed and developed Soto from the Dominican Republic, would welcome a reunion.

“This will stay in my heart for the rest of my life,” Soto said after the World Series finale. “I don’t know what next year will be like.”

THE REASON THE The Yankees opted to pledge part of their future for just one guaranteed season from Soto. That was never more apparent than on October 19, in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, with the AL pennant on the line.

It wasn’t just Soto’s go-ahead three-run home run off Cleveland Guardians right-hander Hunter Gaddis, one of baseball’s best relievers in 2024. It was the painstaking chess game of achieving that swing. Soto committed an error on four consecutive off-speed pitches, two sliders and two changeups before spotting a fastball and attacking. It was Soto at his best.

“What impresses me the most is how young he is and how locked in he is every day, ready to work,” Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes said. “I can’t imagine being 25 years old and doing what he does, and being so responsible and having a lot of sacrifice. Being 25 in New York and the success he had, it’s hard to do it every time to keep sober.” some day.”

This was Soto’s way all year long. He homered in his spring training debut in Tampa. He fired the game-saving throw on Opening Day in Houston. He hit the home run that sent the Yankees to the World Series, where he hit .313 with a 1.084 OPS.

“The one thing Juan has shown us all year is his flair for the dramatic,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “and his knack for big situations.”

Yankees hitting coach Pat Roessler, who worked with Soto in Washington, marveled at the slugger’s work ethic. Soto, Roessler noted, has had the same routine since his days at Nationals. He said Soto would work extra before or after games if he felt a tap. He gave two reasons for Soto’s otherworldly hitting skills: an unreal ability to recognize pitches early and a compact swing that he can repeat with extreme accuracy.

“I’ve never had a guy who could repeat his swing like that,” Roessler said.

Those skills made Soto a superstar on his 21st birthday and a World Series champion five days after that. It prompted the Nationals to offer him a 15-year, $440 million contract extension two years ago. When he declined, he was traded to San Diego. A year and a half later, Soto, a talent comparable to Ted Williams, was traded again to the Yankees – his third team in less than three years. It was a transaction that Boras said would not have happened if Padres owner Peter Seidler had not died the month before.

“Peter Seidler would never have traded Juan,” Boras said. “Economically, we certainly thought very carefully about who Juan Soto was and what his value was.”

The question now is whether Soto’s resume will expand to a fourth club in less than four years.

“Anyone would be lucky to have him,” Cortes said. “I’m sure this organization would love to have him back.”

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe said he wanted Soto to return “as bad as you want.”

Veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has never been a free agent, had no advice for Soto, just a request with a smile: “Just stay with us.”

Everything indicates that Soto is open to staying – and just as likely to leaving. He’s been waiting for this moment for years, ready to be done bouncing back and forth from coast to coast – ready for a permanent home. Now it’s time to reap the benefits of its success and test the market.

His season in the Bronx could have been spectacular. There may be no such thing as playing for the Yankees. That doesn’t mean he’ll do it again.