Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Ups the Ante on Juan Soto's Free Agency With Two-Word Message
As you surely know by now, the New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 on Saturday night to win the ALCS and appear in the franchise's first World Series since 2009.
New York probably would not have clinched without the late-game heroics of 25-year-old superstar Juan Soto, who delivered an iconic three-run home run in the 10th inning of Game 5 after an all-time great at-bat against formidable Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis.
Not only was this the most memorable moment of Soto's one season with the Yankees, but it's arguably the most memorable moment of his entire MLB career to this point.
Although Yankees fans are hoping that future moments will match it; not only in the upcoming World Series, but for years to come.
Soto will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The general belief is that he will command the second-largest contract in MLB history (only inferior to the 10-year, $700 million contract that the Los Angeles Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani last offseason), with recent reports stating that it will take at least $600 million to secure Soto to a long-term deal.
However, Soto's teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. offered up his own number he thinks Soto should sign for in the aftermath of New York's ALCS win.
When YES Network reporter Meredith Marakovits asked Chisholm what he was thinking when Soto was at the plate before his home run, Chisholm said, "He's gonna do it. That's the only thing going through my mind, he's gonna do it."
He then added, "Pay my guy! Pay Juan Soto!"
When Marakovits brought up how much Chisholm thinks Soto should be paid, he said, "$700 million!"
Clearly, Chisholm believes Soto is worth as much as Ohtani. And if Soto's offense continues to propel the Yankees to a World Series championship, the franchise's front office may decide to give him every cent of what Chisholm suggested.