The New York Yankees lost a heartbreaker in Game 1 of the World Series on October 25. Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history to beat the Yankees 6-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning.
The Yankees’ focus is certainly on winning it all, as that’s more important than any pending free-agency case. However, right when the free agency period opens up, which is technically the day after the final game of the World Series, their attention will turn to Juan Soto.
Soto is expected to be among the highest-paid players in Major League Baseball history. Jim Bowden of The Athletic suggested this would be the case this winter, predicting that he’d land a deal slightly less than Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million. Bowden came in at 15 years for $622 million.
“Has Juan Soto found his permanent home with the Yankees? Can they keep him after a strong platform year? He certainly lived up to expectations in his first year in the Bronx, slashing .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs and a league-leading 128 runs scored,” Bowden wrote on October 24. “He’s expected to finish third in the American League MVP voting behind Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. He’s met the big moments in this postseason and has logged a 1.106 OPS.
“By all indications, he’s poised to become the second-highest-paid player in baseball history, behind only Shohei Ohtani. He’s a generational talent who will hit free agency at only 26 and should be able to land a 15-year deal. Most executives believe he’ll end up somewhere between $550 million and $650 million, which will probably limit his market to both New York teams and possibly the Blue Jays. Other teams such as the Dodgers, Phillies, Rangers and Nationals also could emerge for Soto.”
Soto’s Comments on Free Agency Ahead of World Series
Ahead of the New York Yankees’ first game in the World Series, Soto addressed the media. Some questions were asked about his free agency situation, and his answers were promising for the Yankees.
Soto hinted at wanting to be happy and win championships. Considering he looks to be having joy in the Bronx and the Yankees are in the World Series, that should play heavily in their favor.
“Definitely every player wants to be happy where they’re at. And at the end of the day, whenever you win, you’re going to be really happy,” Soto said on October 25, according to Dayn Perry of CBS Sports.
“So wherever you are that you have a chance to win a championship, you’re going to be excited to play for them. I think that’s the biggest thing. That’s the biggest mindset right now. See where’s the best chance for that and go from there.”
He understands, however, that money isn’t everything. If he wants to be an all-time great, it’s about winning multiple rings. That’s especially true for a player on the Yankees, a team with the richest history in baseball.
“That’s one of the things people never forget – you can be the best player. You can do whatever you want,” Soto said on October 25, according to Gabe Lacques USA Today. “But at the end of the day, people remember you because you won a World Series, and what you did for that community.”
Soto Credits Scott Boras for Taking Care of Free Agency
With a pending free agent as big as the New York Yankees’ star, there’s bound to be some pressure from players. Having a potential $600 million deal on the table can certainly get to players, but instead, Soto had the best year of his career.
He credited Scott Boras before Game 1 of the World Series, highlighting what his super agent is doing for him.
“Scott is doing a really good job not making it hard for me. He’s been taking all the bullets,” says Soto. “I’m just focused on playing baseball right now. And everything that comes to that, I’ll let him do it.
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