The New York Yankees are starting to put their full-court press on to bring Juan Soto back to the Bronx.
After it was reported the New York Mets owner Steve Cohen will meet with Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, next week, the Yankees have scheduled their sit-down as well.
According to the New York Post’s Mark W. Sanchez and Jon Heyman, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner will travel to Southern California in the next week and a half to meet with the generational talent and his agent.
“The billionaire behemoths have begun the fight for one of the most enticing baseball free agents ever — a battle that surely will include much of the rest of the league but could come down to the New York powers,” the Post reports.
The Yankees acquired Soto in a blockbuster deal with the San Diego Padres prior to the 2024 season. All Soto did was help lead the Bronx Bombers to a World Series appearance and put up MVP-type numbers: 41 home runs, 128 runs scored, 109 RBI, a .989 OPS, and 7.9 WAR (wins above replacement).
On top of that, Soto will only be 26 years old going into 2025 so he has several elite seasons ahead of him, if he stays healthy.
Related: New report reveals Juan Soto met with New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner over summer
How much money will it take to sign Juan Soto?
It wouldn’t be a shock if Soto matches or exceeds Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers — the biggest professional sports contract in history.
“There is no one in the sport who has more money than Cohen. There is no one in the sport facing more pressure to sign Soto than Steinbrenner, whose club mortgaged part of its future in trading for the outfielder ahead of his walk year and whose club has not won a World Series since 2009,” the New York Post wrote.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel predicts Soto will receive a 13-year, $611 million deal. It will be an unmitigated disaster for the Yankees if Soto leaves the Bronx for Queens. If that happens, it could set back the Yankees for years.