Hal Steinbrenner and Juan Soto have said they are open to discussing a new contract to keep the slugger with the Yankees long-term, and we’ll see how that plays out.
What Soto’s teammates and coaches don’t seem to care about is the possibility of a potential mid-season negotiation taking away Soto’s focus.
“I’m not worried about Juan,” Aaron Boone said Friday before the Yankees’ series opener against the White Sox in the Bronx. “He’s obsessed with winning and playing at a really high level. I don’t think it’s a distraction no matter when those conversations happen.”
And, as Steinbrenner said on Thursday’s YES Network podcast, it was unusual for him to enter into contract extension negotiations before he became a free agent, which drew the attention of the team’s other stars. .
“This is a unique situation,” Gerrit Cole said. “This is Juan Soto. So I can see why Hal would say that. It’s a unique situation. I don’t think we’ve ever met before.”
Soto is one of the main reasons the Yankees were able to get off to a great start to the season, and he’s a seamless fit with the team and the Bronx.
Mr. Cole, a Scott Boras client like Mr. Soto, said he did not expect the situation to change even after the two sides negotiated.
“You can tell that no matter what else is going on, he’s concerned about dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s,” Cole said. “I know it’s not the first time he’s spoken like this.” [during the season, so I’m not worried.”
Soto famously turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension from the Nationals in 2022 and the Padres expressed a desire to keep Soto following his trade to San Diego, but nothing came of it.
In both cases, Soto ended up being traded, which Giancarlo Stanton believes puts Soto in a good position to excel despite the spotlight of talks with the Yankees.
“I think playing for a few organizations helps,’’ said Stanton, who signed his megadeal with the Marlins well ahead of free agency. “You’ve got to come into a place and prove yourself to an organization and fan base. So I don’t think he’ll feel any more pressure. He’s not faze-able. He just goes out and plays.”
Though Stanton acknowledged Steinbrenner’s declaration that he wanted to keep Soto a Yankee “for the rest of his career” was “a big deal,” Stanton said the team’s actions this past offseason meant more.
“Just going to get him was big-time,’’ Stanton said of the move to trade five players to the Padres in exchange for one year of Soto, as well as Trent Grisham.
“I think that made it clear [Steinbrenner] We want to keep him here for a long time,” Stanton said. “He doesn’t do that to players he considers ‘rentals’. So he just confirmed what he’s already shown.”
And Boone knows how he wants things to work out with Soto still being a Yankee.
“I certainly hope so,” Boone said. “He’s one of the great players in the game and he’s been great in our room. … He’s made a huge difference to our team and our lineup, between the lines and how we do things.”
