For a debut season in pinstripes, Juan Soto couldn’t have provided much more than he did for the Yankees in 2024.
In a campaign that started with being the hero on Opening Day by gunning down the potential tying run at the plate in Houston, Soto enjoyed a career year that included a career-high 41 home runs, top-notch protection for Aaron Judge, a Gold Glove finalist, a 1.102 OPS in the playoffs, and one of the biggest home runs in recent Yankee playoff history in the clinching game five of the ALCS.
All that was missing from Soto’s first season was a championship, as the Yanks came three wins short of accomplishing that. Now, all attention turns toward whether the now free agent will be back for the long haul.
“We gotta sit down and look at it whenever we have a chance with my agent and everything,” Soto said. “We'll see what we're gonna do.
“It's going to be exciting. It's gonna be a good experience, I think. Every player in the big leagues wants to experience how it's gonna be in free agency. Excited to see how it’s gonna be.”
In what could be his only time as a free agent, Soto is expected to command a record contract that some project will eclipse $600 million. The Yankees are expected to be among the top suitors, as are the crosstown rival Mets, as Steve Cohen could be ready to break the bank after his team’s surprising run to the NLCS. Soto says every team will have an equal chance, and doesn’t agree with the idea that he prefers to stay in New York over seeing what other teams have to offer.
“I don't think so,” Soto said. “I'm really happy with the city, with the team, how these guys do. But at the end of the day, we’ll see. We're gonna look at every situation, every offer that we get and take the decision from there.”
Baseball fans will be living and dying by every word from Soto from now until he signs, as his free agency will rival, or even exceed, that of Shohei Ohtani’s last winter. The Yankees saw Soto’s value up close, and Soto has consistently talked highly of his experience as a Yankee, but even he knows that the door is open for him to potentially be a one-and-done in the Bronx.
“You never know,” Soto said. “At the end of the day, we'll see where we're at. Definitely a tough game to be my last one. But really happy with what we accomplished as a team and how far we got. We wanted to be the last team standing, but things happen.
"I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I'm going to free agency. I don't want to say anybody has an advantage, because at the end of the day, we're gonna look at what they have."