Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Projected to Lose Juan Soto to Rival in Historic Deal

With Juan Soto expected to receive a historic contract this offseason, this latest prediction sees the outfielder potentially signing with the Yankees' cross-town rival.
Logan VanDine|
Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) 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) 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

In this story:

New York MetsNew York Yankees

The New York Yankees would love nothing more than to make Juan Soto a Yankee for life after a great first season in the Bronx.

Soto, who was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Bronx Bombers in December 2023, thrived in his lone year in New York as he slashed .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBI in 157 regular season games.

The 26-year-old outfielder also played a major factor in sending the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009 by hitting a go-ahead three-run home run in Game 5 of the ALCS.

However, resigning the superstar may not be easy for Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office, as two other favorites trying to sign Soto are the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. With Soto's next team for the 2025 season and beyond uncertain at the moment, this latest projection sees the outfielder leaving the Yankees for their cross-town rivals.

According to Andy McCullough of The Athletic, despite Soto's great first season as a Yankee, he's predicting the free-agent slugger will sign with the Mets with the deal being the "richest contract in baseball history."

"We looked like knuckleheads last year when our galaxy-brained take on Shohei Ohtani led us to forecasting him joining the Texas Rangers. No need to complicate things," McCullough wrote. "(Steve) Cohen has the deepest pockets. He will dip into them to sign Soto to the richest (present-day value, for sure) contract in baseball history."

This projection should not come as much of a surprise, especially after Yankees' play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay announced on his ESPN New York radio show on November 18 that the Mets may end up outbidding any contender trying to sign Soto.

While there still have been no reported movements about Soto potentially picking a team, this projection is certainly possible with Steve Cohen being known for signing free agents to large contracts since becoming the Mets owner in 2020.

Published
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

Home/News