BRONX, NY — “They have to re-sign him, there is no other way around it.”
“Give him whatever he wants.”
“I will stop being a fan and not attend games if he ends up somewhere else.”
🇩🇴 Juan Soto, a man of the people ⚾️💙#LatinoSports #Yankees #RepBX #MLB pic.twitter.com/Zr56uTyI21
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) August 30, 2024
These are the common statements made by New York Yankees fans on social media regarding Juan Soto’s looming free agency sweepstakes, as the 25-year-old Dominican superstar continues to put up his best-career MLB season yet. But, as they say, action speaks louder than words…
So, what have fans in pinstripes resorted to?
All together in unison during the top of the fifth inning of the Cardinals-Yankees series opener on Friday night at Yankee Stadium, hundreds, if not, thousands of fans located in the right field, and right-center field sections, shouted and chanted “Re-Sign Soto!”
🗣️ 🗣️ 🗣️#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/OBppBkbHpV
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 31, 2024
“I never expected that,” said Soto on the chants following the 6-3 Friday win, where he finished 2-4 with one RBI. “They’ve literally been getting loud. It’s fun to see those fans getting loud and going crazy. Even one of [the Cardinals’] players told me that this place is really loud and it’s only a regular season game.”
“I think that’s the most fun part. They can get really loud.”
We’re currently in the midst of the final week of August, meanwhile Soto has made the stadium sound like October. Not to mention, his numbers seem as if they are from a 162-game regular season.
Soto’s 2024 Numbers in 131 Games Played
.293/.422/.592 slash line, 1.014 OPS, 37 HR (career-high), 96 RBI, 109 walks (2nd in MLB this season behind teammate Aaron Judge)
Juan Soto putting up LatinoMVP numbers – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Impressive to say the least. And again, it must not get dusted under the rug — Soto is doing this all while experiencing the pressure of a walk-year with free agency on the horizon.
“He’s lived up to the expectations and more,” one longtime baseball scout said. “The fanbase has grown so attached to him, and where it’s going, I just can’t see the Yankees front office letting him play in another jersey. He’s theirs but they can’t mess around with the price tag.”
The Generational Juan, as many have deemed the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native, upon arriving to the big leagues in 2018, will for sure be receiving offers north of $500 million, and possibly $550-$600 million this winter, as mega-agent Scott Boras leads the free agency tour.
The ball will be in Juan Soto’s court this winter – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
How? What makes Soto’s free agency so fascinating and appealing to MLB franchises compared to one’s in previous offseasons is that he is a 25-year-old cold-blooded star (turning 26 this October), one whose proven to perform in the postseason and shown to play day-in and day-out throughout the ware and tear of regular seasons — appearing in a minimum of 150 games in five of his seven MLB seasons (47/60 games played in the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic shortened season & in 2024, currently at 131 games.)
Largest Contracts in MLB History
-Shohei Ohtani, LA Dodgers ($700M/10 years)
-Juan Soto* (projected at $550M-$600M/13-15 years)
-Mike Trout, LA Angels ($426.5M/12 years)
-Mookie Betts, LA Dodgers ($365M/12 years)
-Aaron Judge, NY Yankees ($360M/9 years)
-Manny Machado, SD Padres ($350M/11 years)
Juan Soto rounds third base and jumps in the air during his home run trot – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
One inside source predicted that Soto’s lucrative deal will land in the ballpark between $550-$600 million and range from 13-15 years. More than half of a billion dollars is not Shohei Ohtani level money, but just fine for an athlete who is currently the same age (25) as his Yankees’ All-Star teammate Aaron Judge was when he made his MLB debut…
The insider went on to list the Yankees as the leading candidate in the sweepstakes, with the Mets, Dodgers and Nationals (believe it or not) fitting themselves in the mix.
If it wasn’t for Aaron Judge and his historic 2024, Juan Soto would be neck and neck with Bobby Witt Jr. for this year’s AL MVP – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
“Less than a handful of teams will go in with their best offers due to the lucrative number,” stated the insider. “Though I think the Yankees can come out on top at the end due to the thought of having a Soto-Judge tandem for the next 6-7 years, the historic legacy + brand that’s carried out by the organization, and lastly, what many haven’t even factored in, the Bronx-Dominican Republic fan-fare.”
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