Lower than 24 hours after the New York Yankees accomplished a blockbuster commerce to accumulate All-Star outfielder Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, Yankees common supervisor Brian Cashman acknowledged he hasn’t but entered contract negotiations with the 25-year-old set to turn out to be a free agent after the 2024 season.
“Haven’t had any conversations relating to that,” Cashman stated in regards to the scenario whereas talking with reporters on Thursday, per Ryan Chichester of Audacy. “We perceive he’s a free agent on the finish of this time period, however we perceive it’s a potential short-term scenario. However I do know he’s going to make our staff considerably higher.”
It was reported this previous summer season that one motive the Yankees possible would not signal two-way famous person Shohei Ohtani in free company is as a result of staff proprietor Hal Steinbrenner seemingly did not need the membership’s payroll to exceed $300M. Nevertheless, that declare was made earlier than the Yankees missed the playoffs for the primary time since 2016.
MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY famous earlier this week that sources “accustomed to proprietor Hal Steinbrenner’s considering” stated Steinbrenner is prepared to lift the membership’s payroll to over $300M amid the franchise’s curiosity in Soto and in signing Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Cashman indicated on Thursday that touchdown Soto represents a “turn-back-the-clock” transfer to when former proprietor George Steinbrenner made the Yankees the “Evil Empire” hated by fan bases all through the MLB group.
“George Steinbrenner all the time felt the most effective gamers on the earth ought to play right here for the Yankees,” Cashman defined, in accordance with Chichester. “The Steinbrenner DNA has all the time been prepared to go all-in.”
After all, Soto has lots of of hundreds of thousands of causes to achieve free company subsequent fall much like how present Yankees captain Aaron Decide examined the open market final offseason. If nothing else, New York Mets proprietor Steve Cohen assembled baseball’s most costly squad for 2023 and will hand Soto what is basically a clean examine days after the 2024 World Sequence concludes.
“In the end, the tradition we have now with the Yankees that we venture continually is our intent to win…we additionally wish to defend and serve our gamers, put them in the most effective place to succeed,” Cashman stated about promoting the Yankees to Soto past subsequent season. “That in itself and taking part in in entrance of one of many best fanbases on the earth is all promoting factors on their very own.”
The Bronx Bombers have not appeared in a World Sequence since they gained the 2009 Fall Traditional and, thus, felt now was the appropriate time to go all-in on a single marketing campaign. As completely happy as Yankees followers are on the primary Thursday of December, their delight will flip to anger if Soto fails to assist finish the membership’s prolonged championship drought after which heads elsewhere roughly 12 months from now.
