LESS THAN A A year ago, the New York Yankees acquired Juan Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham from the San Diego Padres for five players, led by right-hander Michael King. It was a massive haul for a guaranteed season turned into a bargain.
Soto hit a career-best 41 home runs while battling nagging hand and forearm injuries. He ranked 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 the most productive baseball duo since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as 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 of.
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Along the way, Soto expressed his desire to become a part of team history while becoming a valued figure in the Bronx. He air hugged the roll calls in right field. He accompanied his production with plays. He shuffled in the batter's box. He stared at the mugs. He shook his head, nodded and smiled. His flamboyant relentlessness made every punch must-see television. He didn't give a pitch, let alone a plate appearance. His first year as a Yankee was unforgettable.
But now it could 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 go well beyond $500 million. It's possible to surpass Shohei Ohtani's heavily deferred $700 million deal in today's value.
Soto has repeatedly said that he enjoyed his time in New York. After the Yankees won the pennant in Cleveland, Soto's father, also Juan José Soto, gushed in Spanish about his son's experiences as a Yankee.
“Spectacular. Spectacular,” Soto said during the Yankees’ on-field celebration. “The Yankees are the home of baseball. It's the brand of baseball. And there’s nothing better than playing for the Yankees.”
Now the younger Soto must decide whether he will 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 while his teammates and coaches gathered their belongings. He was still wearing his batting helmet. He still had his bat in his hand.
After staring at the mosh pit in the center of the diamond, he stood up, walked to one end, climbed a step to the field, bowed his head, said a prayer, looked to the sky, touched his chest, and then disappeared into the Outdoor clubhouse.
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The Yankees' season, an eight-and-a-half-month odyssey, was over. That might have been the end of Soto's pinstripe career.
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 expressed no preference for staying in the Bronx.
Have you considered that this might be your last game as a Yankee? (You never know.) Would you like to return if the money is right? (I'll weigh my options.) Do the Yankees have an advantage in re-signing you because this year has gone so well? (Each team has equal opportunities.) Does geography play a role? (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.)
“Leaving any place where a winning team is is always hard, and this place was definitely special,” Soto said that night. “It was great fun for me. I was really happy. Whether I'm here or not, I'm really happy for the teammates I have and the people I've met. “That was a very special group,” but at the end of the day we’ll see what happens.
The next morning, Scott Boras, Soto's agent, told ESPN that his superstar client's priority was to play for a winner. According to Boras, that means “a commitment from ownership to be competitive” and “a system that has great players and great pitching.”
“Juan loves consistently having successful organizations and successful owners,” Boras said. “The geographical part of it is that Juan and his loved ones are comfortable. That's what's most important to him. And the geography of the Major League…Juan played both games: the West Coast and the 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, Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies are likely to be interested. The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants are looking for a pivot for the franchise. The Washington Nationals, the organization that signed and developed Soto out of 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 it will be like next year.”
THE REASON OF The Yankees chose to mortgage some of their future for just one guaranteed season. Soto was never clearer than on Oct. 19, in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, when the AL pennant was on the line.
It wasn't just Soto's go-ahead three-run homer against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Hunter Gaddis, one of baseball's best players of 2024. It was a meticulous game of chess to achieve that momentum. Soto fouled off four consecutive off-speed pitches, two sliders and two changeups before seeing a fastball and striking out. It was Soto at his best.
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“What impresses me most is how young he is and how closed-off and ready to work he is every day,” Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes said. “I can't imagine being 25 years old and doing what he's doing and being so responsible and making a lot of sacrifices. Because I'm 25 years old in New York and have had the success that I've had, it's hard to keep a level head the whole time.”
This is how Soto behaved all year long. He hit a home run in his spring training debut in Tampa. On opening day in Houston, he hit the game-saving shot. He hit the home run that sent the Yankees to the World Series, where he batted .313 with an OPS of 1.084.
“The one thing Juan has shown us all year is a flair for the dramatic,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “and a flair 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 time with the Nationals. He said Soto would work extra before or after games if he felt a weakness. He cited two reasons for Soto's preternatural hitting skills: an unreal ability to read shots 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.
These skills made Soto a superstar on his 21st birthday and a World Series champion five days later. This led the Nationals to offer him a 15-year, $440 million contract extension two years ago. When he declined, he was transferred 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 trade that Boras emphasized would not have happened had Padres owner Peter Seidler not died the previous month.
“Peter Seidler would never have traded Juan,” said Boras. “We were certainly very similar in terms of economics, thinking about who Juan Soto was and what his value was.”
The question now is whether Soto's resume will expand to include a fourth club in less than four years.
“Anyone would be lucky to have him,” Cortes said. “I’m sure this organization really wants him back.”
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe said he wanted Soto to return “as much as you could probably want.”
Veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who was never a free agent, had no advice for Soto, just a request with a smile: “Just stay with us.”
All signs point to Soto being willing to stay — and equally open to leaving. He's been waiting for this moment for years, ready to finish bouncing back and forth from coast to coast – ready for a permanent home. Now it's time to reap the rewards of its success and test the market.
His season in the Bronx could have been spectacular. There may be nothing better than playing for the Yankees. That doesn't mean he will do it again.
