The New York Yankees have improved their position in the chase to lock up Juan Soto long-term.
On Wednesday, MLB insider Jon Heyman claims he feels better about the Yankees’ chances to re-sign Soto than he has before. He added that Soto loved the Yankees’ clubhouse and that the two sides recently had a good meeting.
The consensus around baseball is that the Soto sweepstakes have come down to a battle between four teams. The Yankees are dueling with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox to land the 26-year-old slugger.
Soto is the biggest prize of the offseason. He is a four-time All-Star, and three-time All-MLB first-teamer, has won five consecutive Silver Slugger Awards, and helped the Washington Nationals with a World Series in 2019.
After the San Diego Padres traded him to the Yankees before the 2024 season, Soto turned in a brilliant campaign. He hit .288 with an on-base percentage of .419 while slugging .569. His .989 OPS ranked third in baseball. He had 41 home runs, 109 RBIs and 129 walks against 119 strikeouts. He also set a career-high by posting 7.9 WAR.
Soto’s free agency isn’t expected to last much longer. Reports suggest a resolution could come as soon as next week’s Winter Meetings.
