Manager Aaron Boone will be part of the New York Yankees‘ sales pitch for free agent outfielder Juan Soto next week in Southern California. He’ll join Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner for the talks with Soto and his agent Scott Boras.
The 26-year-old star was named an American League MVP finalist on Monday after putting up a stellar first season in pinstripes. helping lead the Yankees to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
Boone wasn’t shy when asked to share the team’s strategy with Soto in a Zoom call on Monday. “I think let it be organic and let the meeting go where it needs to go,” the Yankees manager said.
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“I’m sure maybe he’ll have questions now that he is a free agent [or wants] to address certain things. But I’m just going to go in there and be myself and confident in my relationship with Juan.”
In 157 games with the Yankees in 2024, Soto slugged 41 home runs and knocked in 109 runs to go along with a sparking .284/.419/.569 (.989 OPS) triple-slash. His 7.9 bWAR only trailed Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. in the American League.
The Dominican outfielder continued his strong play in the postseason, mashing four homers with even more impressive .327/.469/.633 (1.101 OPS). His dramatic 10th-inning home run against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the ALCS sent the Yankees to the World Series.
Soto celebrates mashing a go-ahead home run against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the ALCS (
Image:
Getty Images)
“As I’ve said all year, what Juan did for us between the lines was pretty special, and [he] put together a remarkable season,” Boone continued. “But equally, I was just impressed with the person. Really getting to know him and getting to manage him was a pleasure.“
“I certainly would love to have him back, obviously. I want him in pinstripes moving forward. But you also know there’s going to be a lot of people competing for that, and who knows where it ends up?”
The Yankees are far from the only team in the mix for Soto’s signature. The New York Mets are considered the fellow front-runners, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and even the Tampa Bay Rays are also reported to also be interested.
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USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale predicted Soto will sign a 14-year, $630 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Other insiders tip Soto to surpass $700 million.
“Hopefully [our pitch will] cement the point of how valuable and how much we think of him, not only as a player but as a person,” the Yankees manager admitted.
“I got to live that with him this year. That would be my sales pitch; [discuss] how much we want him, but let the meeting go where it goes.”
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