The New York Yankees seemingly have given up hope of signing All-Star outfielder Juan Soto to a contract extension ahead of free agency. "Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is said to remain steadfast in his interest in signing Juan Soto long term — though the Yankees do seem to be convinced now it isn’t happening in-season," MLB insider Jon Heyman reported Thursday night. Heyman's update is hardly surprising, as it was believed back when the Yankees acquired Soto from the San Diego Padres in December that agent Scott Boras would take the 25-year-old into free agency following this year's World Series.
In late June, Soto carefully neither confirmed nor denied that he could have Boras negotiate with big-spending New York Mets owner Steve Cohen this fall. Interestingly, the Yankees and Mets are heading in different directions before the All-Star break. While the Yankees are in the middle of a summer slump, the Mets began Friday with a National League wild-card playoff berth after they were postseason afterthoughts roughly one month ago.
"Soto...
will be seeking $500M plus, and likely even $600M," Heyman added. "Soto’s expected reticence to negotiate in-season stems from a preference not to distract from the season (plus, of course, the opportunity to choose). Let’s face it: No star of that caliber signs months from free agency.
" It also doesn't hurt that Soto likely has bolstered his value despite the Yankees' recent struggles. Across his first 91 games in pinstripes, he bat.