Juan Soto was just a teenager when he debuted with the Washington Nationals in 2018. Few players of his caliber debut so young and change teams even once before reaching free agency. Yet Soto, still only 26, played for three different teams before heading to free agency for the first time this offseason.
At each of his first two stops in MLB — first the Washington Nationals, then the San Diego Padres — Soto had a chance to get to know each team’s owner. According to a new report in the New York Post, he did not get to know New York Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner over the last year as well as his C-suite counterparts Peter Seidler in San Diego and Ted Lerner in Washington.
More news: Yankees Broadcaster Michael Kay Explains ‘Where Fans are Dead Wrong’ About Juan Soto
As Soto met with interested teams in Southern California this week and last, having a chance to get to know their owners was key. That includes Steinbrenner, writes the Post’s Jon Heyman:
While he loved the Judge-led clubhouse, Soto is seeking a strong rapport with whatever owner he’s partnering with for up to the next 15 seasons. And word is he felt better about Steinbrenner and the Yankees after their meeting, when MLB’s most marquee franchise also emphasized their edge over everyone else in revenue, tradition and brand.
Steinbrenner told reporters at the MLB owners’ meetings this week that the Yankees’ meeting with Soto lasted a couple hours. Also present, he said, were manager Aaron Boone, general manager Brian Cashman, and Yankees executive Omar Minaya.
Soto is expected to sign the richest contract ever given to a baseball player.
Steph Chambers/Getty Images
“No idea,” Steinbrenner said when asked how confident he is the Yankees will re-sign Soto, as relayed by Tim Healey of Newsday. “We’ll be in the mix.”
Hal Steinbrenner on the Yankees’ meeting with Juan Soto: “We had a good meeting. It was very honest.”
He said it lasted a couple of hours.
How confident is Hal that Yanks will sign Soto?
“No idea,” he said. “We’ll be in the mix.”
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) November 20, 2024
Soto’s monster 2024 season was instrumental in the Yankees returning to the World Series for the first time since 2009. Batting ahead of Aaron Judge, he hit 41 homers, scored an American League-leading 128 runs, drove in 109, and reached base at a .419 clip in his first season in the Bronx.
Soto also met in the last week with the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to various reports. He is meeting with teams in Southern California because his agent, Scott Boras, is based in Newport Beach.
For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.