The New York Yankees have gotten everything they could have ever wanted out of Juan Soto. The 25-year-old has been crushing it at the plate, especially of late. Soto's first career three home run game launched the Yankees to victory on Tuesday night. He hit a first-inning blast on Wednesday that put Juan Soto and Babe Ruth in the same sentence, per MLB.com's Sarah Langs.
“Yankees with 6+ HR in a 4-game span:
2024 Juan Soto
2007 Alex Rodriguez
1962 Mickey Mantle
1948 Joe DiMaggio
1936 Tony Lazzeri
1930, ’21 Babe Ruth”
Soto hit two home runs in the Yankees' 8-7 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday to reach this feat. The team has needed the help as well. The three home runs represented the only runs the Yankees scored in their 4-1 win on Tuesday.
This season has had the Soto storyline running through it since day one. With free agency on the horizon, Soto is showing just how valuable he is on the biggest stage in sports. Wednesday's homer was his 34th of the season to go along with 87 RBIs and an OPS+ that was at 189 before Wednesday's game.
The Yankees should of course want to keep Soto around. He is the best hitter in the world according to Aaron Judge and makes them one of the best lineups in baseball. The question lies with Soto and what he will decide this winter.
Yankees must woo Juan Soto in free agency
The Yankees find themselves in a similar position with Soto to the one they were in after 2022 with Judge. They are both represented by Scott Boras, who has a reputation for making sure his clients hit free agency before signing a deal. It drove up the price on Judge and there's no reason to believe the same would not happen for Soto.
Soto's career began with the Washington Nationals but he was traded away after turning down a contract offer. He went to the Padres where he spent just one full season before they realized they would not be able to sign him. Now, he is with the Yankees and set to re-set the market.
Judge has the highest annual salary among hitters in baseball. Only Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Shohei Ohtani are above him in average annual value in the majors. That $40 million per year number seems like it will be the place to start. The Mets will certainly be in on Soto at that number. Other teams that missed out on Ohtani, like the Angels, Blue Jays, and Giants, will be in on Soto.
The Yankees, however, cannot let him leave their building. They have been exposed as a team that might not be deep enough offensively with his this season. If they do not re-sign Soto, they will be left asking “what if?” for the remainder of Judge's career. They also will have given up multiple solid pieces for just one season of production.
As for Soto, he will keep swinging and providing awe-inspiring moments for Yankee fans this season. Those fans are just hoping that they continue past 2024.
Follow Us
Subscribe