Juan Soto, the New York Yankees’ outfielder, has been by far the team’s best offseason acquisition. In fact, he is tied with Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the unofficial title of most significant offseason trade by any team.
Soto has reinvigorated the Yankees’ lineup, which is mostly centred on Aaron Judge, and transformed it into a two-headed monster. The All-Star is keeping his cool.293/.420/.585 with 37 home runs, 96 RBI, 110 runs scored, 110 walks, and an impressive 1.005 OPS. Opposing lineups face a nightmare every time the Yankees’ second and third hitters come up, and there is no escape it.
As we all know, Soto will be a free agent following the World Series. He has been waiting for this moment for years, and no contract extension could entice him.
The Yankees will have to pay more than they feel comfortable with.
He reportedly rejected $350 million and $440 million contract extensions from the Washington Nationals in 2022. That is why it is widely expected that the price for his services will begin at $500 million. How much more should the tax-conscious Yankees offer?
Whatever it takes. That is the short answer. And, to their disappointment, it should be substantially more than $500 million, given the financially powerful New York Mets’ presence.
Tim Britton of The Athletic does an intriguing financial experiment to try to anticipate how much Soto could fetch in the open market. The figures are really high.
“Soto could aim for a 14-year deal worth $40 million per season, which would bring his total to $560 million.” Or he could aim for both records with a 12-year contract worth $45 million every season, for a total of $540 million,” he said.
The Yankees will have to spend big money once more. They already have several high-priced long-term commitments, including Judge, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, and Carlos Rodon. However, Soto is a generational talent that the team cannot afford to lose if they are to compete consistently over the next decade.
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