The New York Yankees are expected to meet with Juan Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, on Monday, November 18. Soto has already met with teams, so this should give the Yankees a clear idea of his market.
It remains uncertain when he plans to pick a team. The Yankees, however, can’t be cheap in this situation. If Soto tells them he has an offer for $650 million plus, they need to be ready to give him more.
He’s their biggest priority this winter.
Chris Kirschner of The Athletic outlined the Yankees’ ideal offseason. His plans were excellent: putting together a roster that would make the Yankees contenders to return to the World Series in 2025.
His first goal was to re-sign Soto. In his contract prediction, the left-handed slugger reached $658 million over 14 years, breaking Shohei Ohtani’s AAV of $46.08 million.
“This is a no-brainer. No offseason plan for the Yankees is truly complete without landing the best free agent on the market. Monday, they are set to meet with Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, in Newport Beach, Calif… Though it remains unclear whether other teams will also meet with Boras and Soto, it’s widely expected that Soto’s free agency won’t stretch deep into the offseason.
“Boras is aiming to set a record for average annual value (AAV) with the 26-year-old superstar — and he’s in a strong position to do so. A 14-year, $658 million deal would pay Soto $47 million annually, slightly surpassing Shohei Ohtani’s AAV of $46.08 million,” Kirschner wrote on November 18. “Ohtani’s contract is heavily deferred, but Soto’s deal almost certainly won’t be, as Boras has already strongly suggested he’s not interested in that path.”
Soto’s Meeting With New York Mets ‘Went Extremely Well’
The New York Mets aren’t the only team the New York Yankees will have to worry about poaching Soto. However, they might be the biggest threat.
Mets’ owner Steve Cohen is expected to do whatever it takes to land Soto this winter, and while he might come in with the biggest offer, the Yankees could give him similar money in most scenarios.
Perhaps there’s an outrageous scenario where Cohen would blow the Yankees out of the water with a $750-plus million deal, but that isn’t expected to be the case.
Still, there’s no telling how far Cohen will go to land the Yankees star.
The two met on November 16, and according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the meeting went “well.”
“All signs suggest the meeting went extremely well, and the Mets remain viewed as one of the favorites for the services of the 26-year-old Soto, who helped the Yankees reach the World Series in his initial season in The Bronx in 2024 and is the top winter priority of both New York teams,” Heyman wrote. “Word is the Mets’ presentation was a ‘big production’ and ‘very detailed.’”
Soto’s Free Agency Could Slow Down Other Moves
As Kirschner mentioned, the New York Yankees might not have to wait too long for Soto to make his decision. Not only would that be the best outcome for them, whether they keep him or not, but it’d help other free agents.
Any team that wants Soto likely won’t make a significant move until his decision is finalized. The Yankees and New York Mets could be impacted heavily, as they have other areas to improve.
