As shared by Ryan Chichester of Audacy, former New York Jets quarterback and current WFAN radio host Boomer Esiason recently theorized that the New York Yankees can’t give All-Star outfielder Juan Soto more money per season than what team captain Aaron Judge makes via the nine-year, $360M deal he signed to stay with the organization in December 2022.
It turns out that may not be a problem for Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner as Soto remains on track to reach free agency this fall.
“A couple of agents suggested they believe the Yankees would prefer to limit Soto’s annual salary to Judge’s $40M, though Soto will be 4.5 years younger for free agency, and it’s unlikely the win-obsessed Judge minds being the second-highest paid Yankee,” MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post explained across multiple articles published on Thursday. “I don’t believe that’s the case, anyway.”
The only real thing that seems certain about Soto’s short-term future is that he won’t be offering the Yankees any type of discount to sign an extension before he hits the open market. That’s understandable considering the value of his next contract likely only increases with each week.
Per ESPN stats, Soto began Friday ranked fifth in all of MLB with 34 home runs, sixth with 87 RBI, fifth with a .307 batting average and second (behind only Judge at 1.174) with a 1.052 OPS. Meanwhile, the 72-50 Yankees ended Thursday’s MLB action tied with the Baltimore Orioles atop the American League East standings.
Since before the season, some have linked Soto with the New York Mets, assuming big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen will be willing to essentially hand the slugger, who turns 26-years-old in October, a blank check to make him the face of the franchise. For what it’s worth, the 62-59 Mets went into Friday afternoon trailing the Atlanta Braves by two games in the battle for the final National League wild-card playoff spot.
“Steve Cohen provides their edge, and they’ve strategized to clear payroll via expiring contracts,” Heyman wrote about the Mets’ expected pursuit of Soto. “But they might need to significantly outbid their crosstown rival.”
Heyman spoke with “13 experts” about the type of contract Soto could receive as a free agent. One individual predicted the deal could be worth $600M guaranteed over 12 years.
Steinbrenner previously warned fans he wouldn’t accumulate a payroll he deemed “not sustainable,” but he may have to do just that to keep Soto from signing with the Mets or any other club.
