New York Yankees senior vice president and general manager Brian Cashman doesn't seem to mind that team owner Hal Steinbrenner recently said he'd like All-Star outfielder Juan Soto to finish his career with the organization.
"Hal was just speaking the truth and the obvious," Cashman said on Tuesday, per Dan Martin of the New York Post.
Soto joined the Yankees from the San Diego Padres via a December trade and is a big reason why first-place New York began Wednesday at 33-17. Across his first 50 games of the season, Soto recorded 11 home runs and 37 RBI. He ended Tuesday's MLB action with a .309 batting average and a .947 OPS on the season.
While Soto said last week that his "door has always been open" regarding potential in-season contract negotiations, just about every MLB reporter and insider expects the 25-year-old to test free agency after the World Series.
For a piece published early Tuesday morning, one unnamed American League executive told Mark Feinsand of the MLB website that "there’s no chance" agent Scott Boras would let Soto commit his future to the Yankees without first hearing offers from other clubs this fall.
"When we traded for him, we certainly hoped we could keep him," Cashman continued. "We also recognize he’ll be making his own decision either way. We hope we can make it hard on him."
Soto reportedly wanted to reset the market with a historic deal even before he emerged as a Most Valuable Player candidate. As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Soto as the betting favorite at +225 odds to earn AL MVP honors for this season.
"We’ll see how it all plays out," Cashman added. "We want to keep him and we’re pleased with how it’s going. We think he enjoys playing here. We know he loves the fan base and his teammates."
Cashman also teased fans by telling them to "stay tuned" for updates on contract talks between the Yankees and Soto's camp.
Nothing is stopping Steinbrenner from presenting Boras with a so-called "'Godfather' offer" ahead of summer, but Boras probably would still want to give big-spending New York Mets owner Steve Cohen an opportunity to essentially hand Soto a blank check in such a scenario.
