Tim Kurkjian details the importance of the Yankees winning as much as possible this season in relation to their chances of re-signing Juan Soto. ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
In other words: Soto will shop around. But the Yankees can afford to give him the second-richest contract in history behindSteinbrenner said the club's $300 million-plus payroll is"not sustainable," but the Yankees are expected to have at least $80 million coming off the books this offseason, and keeping Soto is atop their to-do list. Their approach to the trade deadline hinted at that.
"He just finds a way to impact the game every single day," Judge said."He's always focused on the team, which is something I always love. Like, he's here for us and that can be tough when it's your third team and you're about to be a free agent. This year, Soto, who started in the All-Star Game for the first time, is third in the majors in fWAR -- behind Judge andSoto has a 1.029 OPS against right-handed pitchers and a .954 OPS against lefties. He is in the 98th percentile or better across the majors in exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, chase rate and walk rate, among other categories that make front offices salivate. He's hit three home runs in a game.
He has an aunt in Manhattan and an uncle in the Bronx. He attended Knicks and Rangers playoff games with teammates in the spring. He went to an Aventura concert and recently appeared at the US Open in Flushing. But Soto resides in a suburb about 40 minutes from Yankee Stadium and said the grind of the season has not allowed for much exploration.
He rankles pitchers with intense stares and his trademark Soto Shuffle, an exaggerated reaction to pitches out of the strike zone he birthed in the minor leagues to inspire confidence. He playfully trash-talks catchers. He is the kind of player you love to have on your side and loathe to face. The gamesmanship has evolved to include catchers. Conversations between hitters and catchers, especially familiar foes, are common. But Soto takes the interactions to another level.
"I remember him always saying, 'Juan Soto is the guy and he's ready now,'" Boone said."He was in like A-ball, Double-A. He said, 'This guy is different.'" "Gio told me, 'Enjoy it because you're going to be a Yankee one day,'" Soto said."'This is going to be your house.'"