New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is slated to hit free agency next offseason, and given that he is a Scott Boras client, fireworks are undoubtedly about to ensue.
Boras fully understands Soto's value and raved about the superstar when discussing his next deal this week.
“When you represent players who I call ‘centurions’ where you can say that they will be among the top 100 players to ever play this game, when you represent them you don’t worry about the cost of them for a franchise because they increase the franchise value of the team,” Boras said. “The only cost is what it costs to build the monument.”
So, basically, if the Yankees are going to retain Soto, they are going to have to pay through the nose.
New York acquired Soto in a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres this past offseason, knowing full well he was entering the final year of his deal. While the Yankees are the favorites to re-sign him, it doesn't seem to be a slam dunk.
“Centurion players add literally millions and millions of dollars to a franchise’s value,” Boras said. “Particularly at his age when you look at what we call in the industry surplus value and what it means for teams, the opportunity for an investment like this comes along in an owner’s career very rarely. These types of players don’t exist.”
The Yankees cannot afford to lose Juan Soto
Soto is unquestionably a generational talent, and the Yankees have seen that first hand over the first couple of months of the season.
Through his first 56 games in the Bronx, Soto is slashing .312/.408/.581 with 15 home runs and 46 RBI over 255 plate appearances. What's more, he is also playing surprisingly terrific defense, boasting a UZR/150 of 8.5. For a player who has historically been known as a bad outfielder, that is certainly a 180.
“I understand that any owner should be responsible and any owner should do good business, but when you have a chance to pursue a centurion, you’re only going to have that happen maybe, at best, if you own the team 40, 50 years, three or four times,” added Boras.
That is almost certainly a message to Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, who recently came out and said that the Yanks need to watch their payroll. Soto is expected to land a deal worth at least $500 million, and Steinbrenner may be reluctant to fork over that much cash given that he has already doled out $300+ million deals to Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge.
But honestly, New York really can't afford to lose Soto.
Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are both in their 30s. While both are enjoying terrific seasons thus far, they probably don't have many great years left. Plus, both players are injury prone. If Soto departs the Yankees next offseason, the club's future would be in flux.
New York also has outfielder Jasson Dominguez on the rise, and fellow outfielder Spencer Jones is a top prospect in the farm system. The Yankees probably an envision an outfield containing Soto, Dominguez and Jones down the line, but they'll need to re-sign Soto first.
