Steinbrenner: Yankees 'in the mix' for Soto
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Nov. 20: Steinbrenner: Yankees 'in the mix' for Soto
The Yankees met with Juan Soto on Monday in California, and team owner Hal Steinbrenner confirmed Wednesday that it was a "good meeting" with "very honest back-and-forth dialogue."
Steinbrenner said that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone, president Randy Levine, and special assistant to the GM Omar Minaya were all in attendance during Monday's meeting. But he didn't divulge any part of the team's pitch to Soto or say if any offers were made during the meeting.
"It's been a priority," Steinbrenner said about signing Soto. "We wouldn't have gone out to the West Coast if it wasn't. ... We'll be in the mix. I'll leave it at that."
As of Wednesday, Soto has had in-person meetings with the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Blue Jays. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported Tuesday that Soto will also meet with the Phillies at some point. Soto also plans to sit down with the Dodgers this week, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
Steinbrenner said he has "no idea" if the Yankees will meet with Soto again or if he's confident that the club can re-sign the 26-year-old superstar. But he added, "[W]e've got the ability to sign any player we want to sign."
Nov. 18: Yanks meet with Soto (report)
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reports in an article for the New York Post that the Yankees met with superstar slugger Juan Soto in Southern California on Monday as they look to retain him after he helped lead them to the World Series. Heyman noted that owner Hal Steinbrenner led a delegation from New York that included general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone.
Nov. 14: Yanks reportedly 'in on everyone' in free agency
Although the Yankees are going to make a strong effort to bring back Juan Soto, there¡¯s a real chance the superstar outfielder will sign elsewhere, which means New York needs to have a backup plan in place.
That backup plan appears to leave no limits. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported Thursday in the New York Post that the Yankees are "in on everyone."
One day earlier, during his live chat for Bleacher Report, Heyman was a little more specific on which non-Soto players the Yanks might target.
Heyman said he sees the Yankees becoming more aggressive in the corner-infield market if they don¡¯t land Soto. In that scenario, the Bronx Bombers could target Pete Alonso to play first base, or pursue Willy Adames or Alex Bregman to handle third base. Adames is a natural shortstop, but he is reportedly willing to move to another position for the right team/contract. The Yankees ended the season with Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the hot corner, but they could move Chisholm to second base to replace free agent Gleyber Torres.
Heyman also thinks the Yanks would ¡°look more seriously¡± at signing one of Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Blake Snell to bolster their rotation and pursue switch-hitting slugger Anthony Santander to replace Soto in their outfield.
Nov. 11: Yankees among teams with reported interest in Walker
Re-signing Juan Soto is the Yankees' top priority this offseason, but the club also has a hole at first base that it needs to fill after declining Anthony Rizzo's 2025 club option. The position was a weak spot for the Bronx Bombers in 2024, with Yankees first basemen posting the second-worst wRC+ (76) in MLB.
Accordingly, the Yankees are among the teams planning to "aggressively pursue" free-agent Christian Walker, per a report from USA Today¡¯s Bob Nightengale. They aren't alone, however, as Nightengale reports that at least five other teams are eyeing the right-handed slugger.
The Bronx Bombers have also been connected to Alonso, but the longtime Mets first baseman seems like more of a backup plan in case the Yanks aren't able to re-sign Soto, given the exorbitant cost it would take to sign both players. With the age disparity between Alonso (29) and Walker (33), the latter should come with a much lower price tag, perhaps leaving room in the Yankees' budget to re-sign Soto and add Walker.
Walker doesn¡¯t have quite the same power as Alonso, but he¡¯s no slouch with the bat, having recorded 95 homers and an .813 OPS over the past three seasons. In that same time, Alonso has produced 120 homers and an .826 OPS.
Walker, meanwhile, is a far better defender, winning three straight Gold Gloves and leading his position with +38 Outs Above Average since the beginning of 2022. Alonso has produced -17 OAA in that span.
Nov. 8: Yanks set to meet with Soto soon (report)
The Yankees have scheduled their own sitdown with Juan Soto as they get ready to make their pitch to re-sign their superstar slugger, according to a report from the New York Post on Friday.
Yanks owner Hal Steinbrenner is expected to fly to California in about a week and a half to meet with Soto.
The Mets are also reportedly visiting Soto next week, but per the Post's report, the Yankees have been assured that they will still be able to meet with Soto after that.
The New York rivals are two of the favorites to land Soto, the marquee free agent on the market this winter.
Soto had arguably the best season of his career in 2024 after the Yankees acquired him from the Padres in a blockbuster trade last December. The 26-year-old batted .288 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, 128 runs scored and a .989 OPS and led New York to the American League pennant.
Nov. 7: Could Arenado be on the move? Are Yankees a fit?
According to reports by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and USA TODAY, eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award-winning third baseman Nolan Arenado could be available in trade discussions if he's willing to waive his no-trade clause. The same goes for veteran starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Lance Lynn.
Arenado, who will be entering his age-34 season in 2025, is coming off a year in which he produced the lowest offensive output in any full season (excluding the 2020 pandemic-shortened campaign) since his rookie year in 2013. He finished this past season with a .719 OPS and 16 home runs for St. Louis. Still, he's only two seasons removed from a third-place finish in NL MVP voting.
Yankees announcer Michael Kay, on his ESPN Radio show on Thursday, suggested that Arenado would be a good fit at third base for New York as opposed to spending big money on free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso.
Nov. 7: Yanks interested in numerous star FAs, 'aggressive' in bullpen market
The No. 1 item on the Yankees' offseason to-do list remains re-signing Juan Soto. However, he is expected to take his time in making a decision, and the Yanks' roster has multiple areas of need. So while Soto remains the priority, New York has to look for options at other positions. According to MLB Network insiders Jon Heyman and Jon Paul Morosi, they are doing just that.
Heyman wrote Wednesday in the New York Post that the Yankees have "checked in" on first baseman Pete Alonso and outfielder Anthony Santander, although both are viewed as "backup plans" in case Soto signs elsewhere.
Although Soto's departure would leave a hole in the Yankees' outfield, Alonso would make sense as a secondary option since New York's first basemen recorded a 76 wRC+ this season, worst in the American League.
Per Heyman, the Yankees have also expressed interest in the top starting pitchers in free agency, including Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried. Yet Heyman adds that it's "uncertain" if the Yankees will be able to afford both Soto and a bona fide ace to slot in next to Gerrit Cole.
The prices won't be as high in the reliever market, and the Yankees have been "among the most aggressive teams" in searching for bullpen help during this week's General Managers Meetings, per Morosi. The Yankees have Luke Weaver returning for 2025, but they have a handful of impactful free-agent relievers: Clay Holmes, Jonathan Lo¨¢isiga, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill.
Morosi mentions Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Est¨¦vez as possibilities for the Yanks if they don't re-sign some of those aforementioned arms.
"The New York Yankees fully realizing that even with Luke Weaver at the back end of the bullpen, they need to be active in the relief pitching market," Morosi said during Thursday's edition of Hot Stove.
Nov. 4: Cole staying with Yankees on existing deal
Gerrit Cole is staying with the Yankees.
The Yankees' ace will remain in New York on the same four-year, $144 million deal he originally opted out of.
Cole and the Yankees will continue to discuss options for a potential contract extension, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. But for now, the Yankees have secured their ace through the 2028 season.
The Yankees had a deadline of 5 p.m. ET on Monday to decide whether to void Cole's opt-out and prevent him from reaching free agency by adding a one-year extension worth $36 million to his pre-existing deal. Instead, the Yankees and Cole were able to negotiate an agreement that excludes that additional year, but still keeps Cole in New York for the same contract that he would have had if he hadn't opted out, while allowing for the possibility of an extension later.
Oct. 31: Soto: 'Every team has the same opportunities' in free agency
Juan Soto has been a free agent for less than 24 hours, but a bunch of teams have already been in contact with him, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
Heyman writes in the New York Post that eight teams checked in with Soto in the hours after he and the Yankees lost to the Dodgers in World Series Game 5 on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the number of interested clubs was up to 11.
The incumbent Yankees are likely to make a strong effort to bring him back, but while Soto said after New York¡¯s season-ending loss that he was happy with the team and the city, he also made it clear he¡¯s not giving the Bronx Bombers an edge over any other potential suitor.
¡°I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I go into free agency,¡± Soto said. "I don't want to say anyone has an advantage, because at the end of the day we're gonna look at what they have and how much they want me."
Oct. 31: Re-signing Soto atop Yankees¡¯ offseason priorities
The good news for the Yankees is that they finished the 2024 season with the best record in the American League and earned their first trip to the World Series. The bad news is that they were outplayed by the Dodgers in the Fall Classic, which Los Angeles ended with a Game 5 win Wednesday.
For the Yankees, any season that doesn¡¯t end with a World Series title is deemed by many as a failure. How their offseason is judged will hinge largely on one action: re-signing Juan Soto. The 26-year-old was phenomenal with the Yankees after being acquired prior to this season in a trade with San Diego. He hit a career-high 41 home runs, led the American League with 128 runs and had a 178 OPS+, his best in a full season.
¡°I¡¯m really happy with the city, with the team, how these guys do," Soto said after the Yankees' season-ending loss. "But at the end of the day, we¡¯re going to look at every situation, every offer that we get, and then take a decision from that.¡±
The Yankees will face fierce competition for Soto¡¯s services, perhaps most of all from the crosstown Mets.
Even if Soto returns, the Yankees¡¯ lineup will have a different look in 2025 as infielder Gleyber Torres and outfielder Alex Verdugo are slated to become free agents. Anthony Rizzo, who posted a .637 OPS, carries a $17 million club option for next season. The Bronx Bombers will likely try to add another impact bat to take some of the pressure off of Soto and Aaron Judge, who carried the Yankees¡¯ offense throughout the year.
A host of Yanks relievers are set to be free agents, including Clay Holmes, Jonathan Lo¨¢isiga, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill. Cole could also opt out of his contract, but the Yankees can void that decision by adding a 10th year onto his contract for $36 million.