Report: Yankees Increase Juan Soto Bid With Historic Offer

The Bronx Bombers are making their intentions clear in their attempt to bring back free-agent superstar Juan Soto.
Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) is introduced before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) is introduced before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are reportedly doing whatever it takes to try and bring back superstar free agent Juan Soto.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported on Saturday night that both the Yankees and New York Mets have increased their offers to land the star outfielder for deals that will likely blow past the standing record of $700 million.

"The Yankees and Mets both remain heavily involved in the five-team Juan Soto Derby, with both clubs recently upping offers into the $710 million-$730 million range — MLB record territory — as it’s believed the sweepstakes could be within a day or two of an historic conclusion," Heyman wrote.

The expectation is that Soto's soon-to-be record-breaking contract will surpass Shohei Ohtani's $700 million deal that was signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason.

However, Heyman also revealed that the Yankees' cross-town rivals may be offering the highest contract to the 26-year-old by a slight margin behind Mets deep pocketed owner Steve Cohen.

"It is believed the Mets may be slightly higher as of Saturday night, but the respective offers appear to be within shouting distance," Heyman wrote.

New York's AL East rivals the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays have also placed substantial bids on the superstar.

The Yankees acquired Soto in a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres last winter, and the outfielder is coming off his best season in the major leagues to date in his lone season in the Bronx. Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBI in 157 games and helped lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009.

The Yankees are making it clear that they're more than serious about retaining Soto and keeping him in the Bronx for the foreseeable future.


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Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets and Yankees websites. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan