Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner made a “great pitch” to megastar free agent Juan Soto, according to a friend, so whether they re-sign Soto — and the Soto Sweepstakes are wide open between a possible final five teams (and maybe a sixth) — the Yankees accomplished what they needed to at their high-powered get-together Monday.
Soto previously formed very close relationships at previous stops with owners of the Nationals (Ted Lerner) and Padres (Peter Seidler), and Soto’s friend said he was hoping for the same with Steinbrenner. While it didn’t happen during Soto’s first season in The Bronx, with Steinbrenner mainly using longtime Yankees stars Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole as clubhouse contacts, Steinbrenner nicely explained at Soto’s California confab that he “didn’t want to disrupt Juan’s routine,” or words to that effect.
While he loved the Judge-led clubhouse, Soto is seeking a strong rapport with whatever owner he’s partnering with for up to the next 15 seasons. And word is he felt better about Steinbrenner and the Yankees after their meeting, when MLB’s most marquee franchise also emphasized its edge over everyone else in revenue, tradition and brand.
GM Brian Cashman filled him in on their player development history, and they also mentioned how they even developed the Mets and Phillies managers (Carlos Mendoza and Rob Thomson). The Yankees were smart not to cut down the rival Mets but did mention how they spearheaded efforts to help the deep-pocketed Steve Cohen win the rival team. (That position could ultimately come back to bite them in cases like this, as they had to know.)
Yankees people believe Soto, like most free agents, will take the best deal, which is why the Mets with Cohen are probably as well positioned as anyone.
Steinbrenner publicly painted an accurate picture when he said he had “no idea” how this will turn out. It’s a battle of five teams (six if the Phillies get in; while they’re interested, they didn’t have a meeting yet) and some don’t expect the Yankees to be high bidders when bids start coming in soon.
