SI

Scott Boras Appearance Has MLB Fans Wondering About Juan Soto Extension Talks

Juan Soto will hit unrestricted free agency after 2024 if an agreement is not reached.

Josh Wilson

MLB agent Scott Boras and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto
MLB agent Scott Boras and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto / Chris Kirschner video on X (formerly Twitter)
In this story:

The New York Yankees have two of the league leaders in OPS+: Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. The former is secured on a lengthy contract extension for years to come, while the latter is set to hit free agency this winter.

Soto was acquired before the season in a trade with the Padres that has done the trick for New York. He leads the American League in total bases and has the Yankees' best batting average and on-base percentage.

But the lingering concern about the trade—and what will ultimately determine how worth it the trade really was—is whether or not the Yankees will be able to secure Soto long-term. The slugging outfielder is poised to be a free agent this winter.

Soto's agent, Scott Boras, was spotted in San Diego before the Yankees' Saturday night game against the Padres. Chris Kirschner, who covers the Yankees for The Athletic, shared a picture of Boras and Soto talking on Saturday:

Boras is notorious for taking his clients all the way to free agency rather than negotiating extensions. The philosophy is simple—an open market drives up the price. But that philosophy has come under question after several of his clients—including Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery—signed short-term bridge deals this offseason.

There have been some hints Boras might be open to talking to Yankees brass about an extension, but so far nothing firm has been reported. Were the bridge deals that Bellinger and Montgomery got enough to convince him to change his ways? Does Soto's admitted love for New York have him wanting to earn security sooner rather than later?

On the other side, comments from team owner Hal Steinbrenner about the team's payroll being unsustainable have thrown cold water on the feel that the Yankees are sure to re-sign the star.

Baseball fans were quickly curious about what Boras's attendance might mean and if he'd be speaking to Yankees brass while around Soto and the team. Astute multiplatform observers were quick to point out that Soto also posted a cryptic Instagram story of himself in pinstripes with eyeball emojis around the same time as he was seen with Boras.

Published
Josh Wilson

JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the News Director of the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining the SI team in 2024, Josh worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as Senior Managing Editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a startup sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Josh has a Bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the State University of New York at Cortland and a Master’s degree in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. Josh loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. He lives in Chicago but was raised in Upstate NY. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.

Home/MLB