As of the last week of August, there is still no hint that All-Star outfielder Juan Soto of the New York Yankees will sign a contract extension with the team before the current season ends and he becomes a free agent.
Francisco Lindor, the shortstop for the New York Mets, basically said in an article published by ESPN on Tuesday that Soto’s camp could anticipate hearing from big-spender Steve Cohen at some point this autumn.
In an interview with ESPN MLB expert Jeff Passan, Lindor stated of Soto, “When it comes to the outfielder from across our borough, he’s having a fantastic year and I hope he goes out there and breaks every record out there when it comes to getting paid.” If it’s with us, that will be excellent. He will greatly assist us.
It is said that Yankees captain Aaron Judge would not object if the team offered Soto a higher salary per year than the $360 million, nine-year contract Judge signed to remain with the team in December 2022. However, this does not guarantee the 25-year-old’s return to the Bronx Bombers.
Before Soto recorded a single-season career best of 37 home runs in just 129 games, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner had issued a warning that the team’s salary is “not sustainable” because of luxury-tax penalties.
“At the end of the day, high-ranking front office and ownership-level sources believe the winter for Soto is going to play out like this: Yankees vs. Mets,” Passan said. According to the statistics, a player’s career is expected to decline after the age of thirty. He is therefore the ideal Mets target because the team can acquire a superstar for four complete seasons before he is 30 without having to give any guys in a trade.”
After finishing a relatively lackluster offseason following a poor 2023 season, the Mets started this season at 22–33 before seeing a summer comeback. They were three games behind in the race for the National League’s last wild-card playoff place when they entered on Wednesday morning, trailing 69–63.
If Soto is sincere about turning around the slugger market, his next contract might bring him between $500 million and $600 million over ten to twelve years. Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently stated, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, that he thinks Soto “has enjoyed being here and likes being a part of this group and is a large voice in our room.”
It remains to be seen if Soto enjoys being a Yankees fan base enough to offer the team a discount prior to Christmas.
Probably a major change at first base for the Yankees.
At the trade deadline, many anticipated that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would select Jazz Chisholm, who has been playing well at third base, over an above-average first baseman. Although the Yankees gave Yandy Diaz serious consideration, they decided not to give up a sizable amount of prospect value in order to sign the veteran.
First base is a source of inconsistent play for the Yankees.
With first base turning into a major liability, the Yankees are now in a difficult situation. DJ LeMahieu is arguably having his worst year to date, and youngster Ben Rice is a novice who has gone through multiple extended cold streaks.
After 65 games this season, LeMahieu’s batting line stands at.200/.267/.256 with two home runs, 26 RBIs, and a 50 wRC+, which is 50% below that of the typical MLB hitter. The Yankees could need a more dependable first baseman. His defense has also been patchy, with a.995 fielding percentage but -2 defensive runs saved. Rice, 25, is hitting.178/.273/.363 in the meanwhile. Though he has somewhat higher numbers than LeMahieu, he is not a reliable player for the Yankees in the postseason.
Rizzo’s Comeback: A Possible Fix
This scenario suggests that the team’s experienced lefty Anthony Rizzo, 35, may make a comeback. For the previous few months, Rizzo has been struggling with a right forearm issue; nevertheless, he recently started a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset. He has struck out twice in six at-bats and hit a home run in his three appearances there. Interestingly, he had two singles with an RBI in two at-bats on Tuesday in addition to hitting a home run.
Over 70 games, Rizzo was hitting.223/.289/.341, with eight home runs and 28 RBIs, despite some inconsistency earlier in the season. He outperformed both Rice and LeMahieu, even though his 80 wRC+ indicates that he was 20% behind the typical MLB hitter. This suggests that Rizzo will probably return to his previous position as soon as he is well enough to do so.
