The acquisition of Juan Soto, a four-time Silver Slugger and three-time All Star in the prime of his career, by the New York Yankees was the most significant deal of the offseason. With Soto, Aaron Judge may not be the finest left-handed hitter in the majors.
In order to avoid arbitration in 2024, Soto and the Yankees reached an unprecedented one-year, $31 million deal. Now, unless they reach an extension, Soto will become a free agent at the end of the season.If the Yankees let a 25-year-old potential Hall of Famer to leave in free agency, it would be a very surprising result, Ben-Porat said. Is it really that brave to forecast that Juan Soto will sign the largest contract in history? Maybe not, if you believe the Yankees will stop at nothing to keep him.
Shortly after Soto was traded to the Yankees, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to become the highest-paid player in MLB history by a long shot. This easily broke the record set by Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels, a $426 million 12-year extension from 2019.
Assuming he delivers on expectations this season, Soto is sure to see a robust market for his services if he does enter the free-agent market. To prevent him from doing so, the Yankees would likely have to make it clear that Soto won’t receive more from any other team — something they historically tend to do with players they want.
