Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has begun discussions with agent Scott Boras about keeping Juan Soto in New York, and they also talked about the possibility of acquiring power-hitting first baseman Pete Alonso.
Cashman said he spoke with Boras on Monday during the general managers’ meetings and shared that he had talked to Soto after the season, which ended with the Yankees losing the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
“I had a chance to thank him for everything and told him we’d be in touch,” Cashman said on Tuesday. “And then since that time I’ve talked to obviously Scott, as well, and so he’ll get a feel for the dance steps that Juan Soto wants and he’ll keep us in the loop.”
Soto, a free agent at 26, is expected to seek a contract worth $500 million or more. The Yankees traded for him from San Diego in December.
During the season, Soto hit .288 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 129 walks, forming a strong 1-2 punch with Aaron Judge in the batting order. Soto’s three-run, 10th-inning homer in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against Cleveland helped the Yankees win their first pennant since 2009.
After the World Series loss, Soto said: “I’m going to be available for all 30 teams” and “I don’t want to say anybody has any advantage.”
Cashman said that New York is open to meeting with Soto as much as he wants.
“We certainly have an interest in retaining him and we’ll put our best foot forward there,” Cashman said. “That will either lead to us retaining him and signing him back or we’ll be forced to go in a different direction if we can’t. And if we can’t, there are many other players in the market who can help improve this roster in different ways.”
“Clearly, that pressure point’s not on us today, but it does exist in the market every winter, so those are the tough decisions you have to make,” he added.
Some of the top free agents this offseason include Pete Alonso and third baseman Alex Bregman, who are also represented by Boras.
Along with the Yankees, teams like the Mets, owned by billionaire Steve Cohen, and the Dodgers could also afford to sign Soto. Cashman did not say how much of a threat the Mets are to signing Soto.
“They want to win. They’re in a large market with us. They had a taste of success this year and they want to move the needle even more forward,” Cashman said.
“That’s just the nature of the beast, and big-market owners with deep pockets aren’t the only ones signing players to big deals. I mean, you’ve seen the San Diego Padres out on the West Coast. They’ve brought in a lot of big-time players with big-time contracts.”
