HOUSTON — Juan Soto’s impressive first two games in pinstripes are just the beginning of what promises to be a very long and illustrious stay in New York.
It should be quite a comfortable ride.
Soto’s batting brilliance was spectacular, with multiple league leaders in on-base percentage reaching base in seven of his first 10 at-bats in pinstripes, as Soto’s Yankees won their second straight game in the former House of Horrors. Ta. He’s an old hitting genius, but he kindly and fairly names two others as the best players in the game right now (more on that later).
And unless something unexpected happens, and in the case of free agency, I guess you never know, but my guess here is that he’ll be entertained by the New Yorkers for the next decade, maybe a decade and a half. It will be.
If I were a gambler — and as we all know by now, gambling is not well-received in baseball — I’d say he’s a New Yorker, forever and ever.
The real question may be which district he ends up working in.
The Yankees didn’t trade nearly all of their rotation depth to rent this young phenom. He followed up his heroics in a 7-1 Game 1 win late Friday night with a double off the wall, two singles, a walk and a diving catch.
At this rate, the Yankees can’t let him leave. But if he were to go, his most logical landing spot would be just eight miles south and east of Queens, where the Mets are located.
Free agents are usually hard to predict, but when it comes to $500 million players, Soto turned down $440 million (over 14 years), this area is more predictable.
The reason is obvious. Only a few teams can afford $500 million.
When I suggested to Soto that we needed to limit the field, he said, “Look, it’s not Kansas City, is it?” He replied: they could do that. ”
While it’s true that several more teams made high bids for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani than the most obvious teams, like the Jays, Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime marketing opportunity. Not many people spend $500 million on a hitter (and an outfielder who has improved considerably, as he showed by saving the Yankees’ season opener against hated Houston).
The Dodgers can afford him, but they probably took a $1 billion shot at Ohtani and others.
The Red Sox are undergoing the greatest austerity measures in history.
The Cubs know they don’t have to spend a lot of money to be loved by fans.
The Phillies are a good team for a left-handed slugger (although if Bryce Harper asks nicely, you’ll never know)
Soto said he likes hitting here and in Philadelphia. But as of today, New York is the favorite in both 1A and 1A for richest team vs. richest owner.
The Mets are currently in a transition period, which is expected to occur next winter. We’re also hearing hints now that Soto is on the Mets’ doorstep. It’s the same guy we first noticed all those years ago, right after he arrived in pinstripes at the Winter Meetings. Fans want Pete Alonso back, but Mets numbers-seekers are likely to covet Soto, who is four years younger.
Metrics Man is the ultimate ageist, explaining why six teams offered more than $300 million (plus posting fees) to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a diminutive right-hander who never recorded a single out in a major league game. There is. Yes, Soto, 25, is an analytics darling.
Since Soto hasn’t even gotten to New York yet, he’ll be spending 45 days in Tampa, skipping Mexico City and already perfecting his swing before heading here, so it’s hard to talk to him about which neighborhood he prefers. It’s a little early to ask for opinions. But after getting to know him in the spring, I can tell you that he’s a great fit for the Big Apple.
He’s a very nice guy (which is a bit important) and has a rare stone (which is very important). The Yankees’ other stars have been too polite to say out loud that they want Hal Steinbrenner and top free agent starter Blake Snell to sign in the spring, but Soto set a record for Snell. .
Yankees writers will love this guy. He is smart enough to understand his position.
I asked Soto before his debut if he was the best hitter in baseball, and he pretty much said he was somewhere between Judge and Yordan Alvarez. “Judge is the best right-handed hitter and Alvarez is the best left-handed hitter,” Soto said.
I think he’s right too. Soto is No. 3 in my broad hitter rankings, behind Judge (No. 1) and Alvarez (No. 2), and just ahead of Freddie Freeman, Corey Seager, Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Ronald Acuña Jr. was.
Soto said, “I’ve never hit 62 home runs,” explaining why he can’t qualify for the top spot.
Maybe so. But the difference with Soto is that he will only be 25 years old when he becomes a free agent. His prime may last until the middle of the next decade.
And we should be able to enjoy the fruits of that in either borough.
