What Yankees are Hoping to Elude in Juan Soto Free Agency Sweepstakes, Per Insider

What the New York Yankees are hoping to elude once free agency begins as superstar Juan Soto hits the open market.

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts at first base after hitting a single in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have some heavy lifting to do as they find themselves in a 2-0 deficit in the World Series after dropping the first two games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But regardless of the outcome, the Yankees will be forced to shift their focus to another pressing matter shortly after the World Series concludes.

The topic in reference is the free agency sweepstakes of superstar outfielder Juan Soto who is a big reason why the Yankees snapped their 15-year AL pennant drought.

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Soto will be the Yankees' No. 1 at the top of their priority list this offseason, and view the cross-town rival New York Mets as their biggest competition.

“Going from the Yankees to the Mets … that’s a buzzkill,”  Heyman was told by one Yankees executive who was speaking anonymously on Soto.

On one hand, Soto can choose to remain with the Yankees in the long-term, which means he'd be hitting in front of superstar teammate Aaron Judge for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, Mets billionaire owner Steve Cohen has deep pockets and his team did just exceed all expectations by going all the way to Game 6 of the NLCS.

Soto could be the missing piece for the Mets to break their own World Series title drought that is going on 39 years.

But there is no denying that the Yankees cannot let Soto out the door, whether they win a championship this year or not. Retaining Soto across a long-term deal would enhance their future World Series chances significantly.

There has been a ton of speculation regarding what type of deal Soto, who turned 26 on Friday, will draw in free agency. The likely outcome is that the young phenom lands a contract of 10-plus years in the $500-600 million range. He could sign the second-most expensive deal of all-time behind Shohei Ohtani's $700 million.