Scott Polacek @@ScottPolacek Featured Columnist IV October 31, 2024
Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone hopes the team breaks out the checkbook for Juan Soto this offseason.
“I hope he’s here forever, but I also know I’m excited for him and what the next few months are for him,” Boone told reporters when discussing the impending free agent after Wednesday’s World Series loss. “But from my standpoint, I couldn’t have asked for better.”
He isn’t the only one who hopes Soto returns, as Aaron Judge said, “I think everybody in this room wants him back. … He just does a lot of the little things that people don’t notice that truly make him one of the best players, if not the best player in the game.”
For his part, Soto said he was “open to listen to every single team” while adding that he would like to sign with a winning club.
The Yankees were a winning club after trading for him last offseason.
They reached the World Series in large part because of his individual excellence, as he slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs, 109 RBI and a league-best 128 runs before hitting .327 with four home runs in 14 postseason games.
It was another head-turning season for someone who is just 26 years old with a resume that features a World Series title, a batting title, four Silver Sluggers and four All-Star Games.
That combination of skill, proven production and age means Soto is in line to receive a massive deal this offseason.
New York has always been known as a team willing to spend what it takes to have some of the league’s best players, and this past season was no different. The New York Mets were the only team with a higher payroll in 2024, and Soto could end up deciding between the two teams in the Big Apple.
Boone made his preference clear, which was anything but a surprise after Soto’s impressive season.
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