Yankees Make Final Preparations Before Juan Soto Meeting

The New York Yankees are set to meet with free-agent superstar Juan Soto on Monday.

Dec 21, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Hal Steinbrenner during a press conference at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images / Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are just one day away from their highly anticipated meeting with superstar free-agent slugger Juan Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, in Newport Beach, California.

With rival suitors like the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and New York Mets reportedly already making strong initial presentations to Soto, the pressure is on the Yankees’ front office to keep him from being lured elsewhere. Owner Hal Steinbrenner, general manager Brian Cashman, and manager Aaron Boone are among those preparing to make their pitch.

According to Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media, a source familiar with the Yankees’ strategy said the team plans to emphasize the opportunity for Soto to continue pairing with Aaron Judge and compete in the postseason "practically every year."

“The Yankees will remind Soto he went straight to the World Series in his first season in pinstripes,” Klapisch wrote in an article published Sunday. “And despite the traumatic loss to the Dodgers, Soto and Judge combined to become MLB’s most fearsome regular-season duo.”

Batting back-to-back in the second and third spots in the lineup, Soto and Judge each put up historic numbers. Soto hit .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs in the regular season, while Judge posted a .322/.458/.701 line, leading the league with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs.

Both players were named finalists for the AL Most Valuable Player Award, alongside Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr., whom New York eliminated in the Divisional Series. Soto continued his excellence in the postseason, hitting .327/.469/.633, while Judge struggled, slashing just .184/.304/.408 in October.

Soto, 26, is expected to shatter the nine-year, $360 million contract Judge received just two years ago at age 30. It is extremely rare for a player of Soto’s caliber to hit free agency at such a young age, but his remarkable résumé has many projecting record-length contract that guarantees north of $600 million.

The four-time All-Star outfielder debuted with the Washington Nationals at age 19, won a World Series at 21, and among players with at least 3,000 plate appearances through their age-25 seasons, Soto ranks eighth in OPS+ — behind only Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Mike Trout, Jimmie Foxx, Albert Pujols, Tris Speaker, and Rogers Hornsby.

Soto has drawn at least 129 walks in four consecutive seasons, a feat matched only by Barry Bonds, and already has more career walks than legends like Ichiro Suzuki and Ernie Banks.

Negotiating such historic long-term contracts takes time, especially with Boras involved, but most reports suggest the process could wrap up by the Winter Meetings.

“Unlike previous off-seasons, when Boras would drag out negotiations to squeeze the market for its last dollar, he’ll likely limit the tour to one round,” Klapisch said, noting last winter’s struggles with top clients Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. “For that reason, observers believe Soto and Boras will choose a finalist by the first or second week of December.”

Boras also has to account for other big-name clients including Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman and Snell, who exercised his opt-out with San Francisco. All of them are seemingly waiting for Soto to set the market before they begin negotiations.

With that accelerated timeline in mind, Steinbrenner and his team have limited time to strategize. Klapisch wrote that the Yankees’ owner is “all in” on Soto and will need to negotiate “aggressively” from the jump.

The Yankees have had a one-year head start in selling Soto on the prospect of playing in pinstripes—an advantage other suitors lack. But with Mets owner Steve Cohen determined not to be outbid, the question becomes: How high is Steinbrenner willing to go? And if their final offer falls short, will their sales pitch be enticing enough for Soto to take a slight pay cut?