The New York Yankees are set to sign superstar Juan Soto, 26, to an extension.
“The Yankees appear to be ready and willing to sign Juan Soto to a long-term deal just months after acquiring him,” MLB.com reported on Sunday.
One of the game's hottest superstars, Soto is batting .285 (820-for-276) with 169 home runs, 517 RBI, 557 runs scored, 54 doubles and a .944 OPS in 824 career games. Soto, who is in his age 25 season, is eligible for free agency after the season. In 45 games this season, Soto is batting .920 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs, 30 runs scored, four doubles, and a .920 OPS in 52 at-bats (172-for-52), and he'll only be 26 next year, so he'll be worth an astronomical contract.
“Yankees president Hal Steinbrenner told a YES Network podcast that he would like to see Soto in pinstripes ‘for the rest of his career,’” MLB.com reported, predicting that the Yankees will make a move to extend Soto.
Steinbrenner said, “I don't think there's any doubt about an extension for Soto. His agent, Scott Boras, doesn't usually sign in the middle of the season. Neither do I. I think it can be a distraction to sign in the middle of the season. But I already said in spring training that this is a special situation. It's a very special situation and a very special player. So I wouldn't be surprised if we had some contract discussions during the season,” he said, 스포츠토토 indicating his intention to hold onto Soto.
“At some point, I think it's worth having contract discussions,” Steinbrenner said, “I want to give Juan time to really settle in, I want to have conversations at some point, and most importantly, I want to give him confidence that our team is where he sees himself for the long term.”
On signing an extension with the Yankees, Soto said, “They have the phone number and everything. They'll know who to call. I'm focused on baseball. My job is to help the team win.”
Owner Steinbrenner called Boras “a very common occurrence,” adding, “We've played a lot before, whether he calls me or vice versa. If it's happened before, it can definitely happen again. But again, I wanted to focus on 2024, the most important thing is to win this year,” he said.
Soto, a free agent, will make $31 million this year. In 2022, he turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension from Washington and was traded to San Diego that year. After a season and a half in San Diego, Soto was traded back to the Yankees last December. “Many believe Soto will get at least a $500 million contract next offseason, but if Steinbrenner has his way, Soto won't have to wait until free agency,” MLB.com wrote, adding that the Yankees and Soto's mega-extension is a positive signing.