Managing partner Hal Steinbrenner got the New York Yankees in scoring position during their meeting with superstar free agent Juan Soto, according to NY Post columnist Jon Heyman.
The owner made a “great pitch” to Soto, Heyman reported, citing a friend of the slugger.
“Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner made a 'great pitch' to mega-star free-agent hitter Juan Soto, according to a friend, so whether they re-sign Soto or not – and the Soto Sweepstakes are wide open between a possible final five teams (and maybe a sixth) — the Yankees accomplished what they needed to at their high-powered get-together Monday,” Heyman wrote.
Heyman went on to explain that a relationship with ownership is important to the 26-year-old. Soto had “close,” relationships with Nationals owner Ted Lerner and Padres owner Peter Seidler.
That did not happen with Steinbrenner in Soto’s solo season with the Yankees, Heyman reported. The Yankees’ owner has strong relationships with clubhouse leaders Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole, but unlike his late father, he is not a big presence at the ballpark. He is rarely if ever seen in the clubhouse and does not hold court with reporters when he is at Yankee Stadium.
Steinbrenner told Soto and his agent Scott Boras he did not want to disrupt players’ routines.
Soto accepted that explanation.
“And word is he felt better about Steinbrenner and the Yankees after their meeting, when MLB’s most marquee franchise also emphasized their edge over everyone else in revenue, tradition and brand,” Heyman wrote.
Soto is the marquee free agent on the market this winter. After the Yankees acquired him from the Padres last winter he hit 41 homers with a .989 OPS to lead them back to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
Looking for a long-term contract that could rival Shohei Ohtani's $700-million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Soto has the Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies lining up to meet with him.
In Heyman’s article, he lists the Mets with deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen as the favorites, followed by the Yankees and Blue Jays.
