Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner Schedules Meeting With Juan Soto, Scott Boras

The Yankees' principal owner is prepared to visit the star free agent in California.

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) is introduced before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Juan Soto sweepstakes are heating up - and the New York Yankees are ready.

On Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Hal Steinbrenner - the principal owner of the Bronx Bombers - will be flying out to Southern California to visit Soto and his agent, Scott Boras. This is likely a response to New York Mets' owner Steve Cohen arranging a sitdown meeting with Soto and Boras for next week; the Mets are considered to be the top destination for the superstar free agent outside of the Yankees themselves.

https://t.co/uHz8vOj4Ls. Post exclusive: Hal Steinbrenner is going out to visit with Soto, too

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 8, 2024

An exact date for Steinbrenner's meeting with Soto and Boras has not been confirmed yet, but the arrangement shows the 54-year-old's determination to keep the 26-year-old in pinstripes for the rest of his career. Of course, Boras represents several other lucrative free agents such as Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Pete Alonso, and Alex Bregman, so Steinbrenner can also arrange meetings with those players, even though Soto is clearly his top priority.

Soto, who enjoyed a career-year in 2024 by hitting .288/.419/.569 with a personal-best 41 home runs, had privately met with Steinbrenner back in July; although details were extremely scant, the Dominican phenom described Steinbrenner as "an owner that really cares for his players", which indicates a positive interaction.

Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman is also prepared to meet with Soto as much as he can.

“Since [Soto] knows us, we are standing ready to meet with him if he feels it necessary to meet with us,” Cashman said at the GM meetings this week. “He understands the landscape of opportunities that now exist for himself. He’s played in San Diego. He’s played in Washington. Now he’s played here. So we are more than willing to meet as many times as he would like.”

However, Cashman still acknowledged the threat of Steve Cohen and the Mets in the Soto sweepstakes.

“They want to win,” Cashman said of the Mets. “They are in a large market with us, had a taste of success this year and they want to move the needle even more forward. The best way to do that is import quality players to what you already have.”

Cohen is by far the wealthiest owner in the majors, while the Yankees have consistently been the most valuable and profitable franchise in the league; this allows either New York team to give Soto a contract that rivals the 10-year, $700 million deal that Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason.

But Steinbrenner and the Yankees have the advantage of having a previously established relationship with Soto, so if Steinbrenner is willing to match or exceed Cohen's offers, he could end up with the generational slugger for the foreseeable future.