The New York Yankees love what they have seen from Juan Soto thus far, and are not hiding their desire to keep him in the fold long-term. Encouragingly for them, Soto also seems interested in that potential outcome.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner admitted in an interview with Jack Curry of YES Network that the team was eager to keep Soto and would be eager to discuss a contract extension, even if it had to be done during the season.
Hal Steinbrenner joins @JackCurryYES to discuss the first few months of the 2024 season and other Yankees topics, including Juan Soto’s future, in a new edition of 'Yankees News & Views' with Jack Curry on the YES App!
Link to download: https://t.co/0cgHA97Iau pic.twitter.com/LnUuiTIi3X
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 16, 2024
“I think we’d like to see him here for the rest of his career. I don’t think there’s any doubt of that,” Steinbrenner said. “His agent, Scott (Boras), doesn’t tend to do deals in the middle of a season. Neither do I. I think it can be a distraction. As I said in spring training, this is a unique situation and a very unique player. I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a conversation or two had possibly during the course of the season. I think it’s worth doing at some point.”
Soto was asked about that sentiment on Thursday and said the “door has always been open” to some kind of agreement.
“They know the phone number and everything. They know where to call. For me right here, I’m focusing on playing baseball. My thing is try to help the team win,” Soto said, via Dave Campbell of The Associated Press.
The biggest issue here is one Steinbrenner alluded to: Scott Boras tends to take his clients to free agency, which Soto is eligible for at the end of the 2024 season. On the other hand, if Soto is adamant about playing for the Yankees, he could presumably tell Boras as much and instruct him to get a deal done.
Considering the type of contract Soto is said to want, he would probably be well-served by trying to spark a bidding war on the open market. That makes any in-season extension an uphill climb for the Yankees.
