This has been a busy week for the New York Yankees. On Monday, the front office and members of ownership were in Los Angeles for an in-person meeting with Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. On Tuesday, the Yankees officially introduced Juan Soto, their top offensive acquisition. Soto joined New York in a seven-player trade with the San Diego Padres last week.
"More than excited. This is a great organization and a great team," Soto said Tuesday when asked how he feels about joining the Yankees and playing in front of the large Dominican community in the Bronx. "... Winning, that's all I care about. I come to the field thinking about winning every day, and that's what I want to do."
Soto said several new Yankees teammates have already reached out to him to welcome him to the team, including Yankees captain Aaron Judge and reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. "It's going to be really fun (playing with Judge). I'm more than excited to share the field with him," Soto said.
Still only 25, Soto authored a .275/.410/.519 batting line with a career-high 35 home run this past season. He will of course become a free agent after next season, and, as a Scott Boras client, Soto is expected to reject any extension offers and test the open market. He passed on a $440 million extension offer from the Washington Nationals two years ago.
"I've been doing it for six years now," Soto said about the pressure of playing for a contract. "It's not going to be that hard because I have one of the best agents in the league. I put everything on him and let him do his magic. My mindset is to just come here and play baseball and try to win a championship."
Last offseason, Judge set the market for a best-in-the-game kind of hitter. His contract will pay him $40 million a year through age 39. A similar contract for Soto would be a 14-year agreement worth $560 million beginning in 2025. Shohei Ohtani just signed a massive $700 million contract that isn't really worth $700 million because of deferrals, but you can be sure Boras is citing that $700 million number for Soto.
"My priority right now is just getting to know the team and these guys," Soto said, adding it is not on his new teammates to sell him on the organization. "... For any contract stuff, they know who to call and who to talk to. I'm here just to play baseball."
In addition to Soto, the Yankees also added Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham last week. All three are left-handed hitters with strong contact rates and that is not a coincidence. The Yankees have fielded a lineup with too many righties and too much swing and miss the last few years. Soto is central to their offensive overhaul.
The Yankees went 82-80 and missed the postseason in 2023. It was their worst record since 1992. Trading five prospects for one year of Soto and putting on the full court press for Yamamoto shows New York badly wants to return to the playoffs in 2024.
