Fans of the New York Yankees are getting, well, yanked in all emotional directions lately. The club can clinch a postseason spot with just one more win. They may only be getting one more run at a World Series with Juan Soto though. That's the feeling after the star slugger dropped a huge free agency hint hours after hitting an eye-popping 40-home run season milestone.
Soto sprinkled a bit of speculation on the situation after beating the Seattle Mariners. He apparently plans to hit more than a few baseballs this year. Soto is also going to hit the open market going by recent comments.
“(Hitting a home run in every park), that's a great feeling for me. I think there are so many different ballparks, so many different dimensions,” Soto shared. “I just want to get all of them checked (off). What a best way to go into free agency with all 30 ballparks checked in my list.”
Being mentioned with Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris is always an honor. Now Soto and Aaron Judge join other greats with 40-homer seasons.
“Since I got here for spring training my goal was to put my name close to those guys in the history books,” Soto said. “It feels great. It's pretty cool.”
Mentioning free agency was a bit of a bummer for any fans reading into those tea leaves. Let's not get that far ahead with over 10 games left on most schedules. Soto was asked which milestone meant the most while rounding the bases at the moment. Was it the 40 homers in a season, 200 in a career, or checking off all 30 ballparks?
“It was more about the stadiums, definitely. It's one of those goals I really wanted for my career,” Soto detailed. “Being in the American League now, I knew I had a good chance to do it. When I hit (the homer in Seattle) I knew I had the last one.”
The other 40-bomb Bronx bat, Aaron Judge, is getting a jump on the Soto recruitment process in hopes of continuing the greatness together.
Aaron Judge on Juan Soto: "I feel like he just got into this game. What a career he's had and what a year he's having... Definitely looking forward to more of that the rest of this year and beyond."
“I feel like he just got into this game. What a career he's had and what a year he's having,” Judge said. “(I'm) definitely looking forward to more of that the rest of this year and beyond.”
Yankees need Juan Soto to keep slugging
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Soto sounded satisfied with the Yankees' experience so far after the latest win. He now has 40 home runs on the season, 200 career dingers, and an RBI souvenir in the stands of every MLB ballpark.
“(The milestones) mean a lot. To get to another goal in my career is just great,” Soto said. “It's a great feeling you know with all the work I've been putting in. To get the results is really cool.”
New York needs one more win to clinch a postseason spot as they battle through a road series with the Seattle Mariners. Starting with an 11-2 win kept the season-long momentum going. The Yankees are 46-30 away from home this season so they should be fine, sitting in first place and all. If Soto and Judge keep slugging away, home-field advantage could be wrapped up by the end of the week.
The questions about Soto's home next season will persist though. Will he command top dollar in the market with a ring or without? That's the only question left now that Soto has hit for the home run cycle around the country's stadiums.
