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It took just a better part of a year for Juan Soto to write his name into the fabled New York Yankees folklore as the Bombers made their 41st World Series appearance. With free agency looming, it's uncertain if the outfielder will be back in the pinstripes for another season, though.
Juan Soto, 26, is expected to be the hottest free agent in the market this offseason. He raised his stock further after an epic performance in his contract year, hitting 109 RBIs, including 41 home runs, at a .288 batting average and .989 OPS. He carried that form into the postseason, amassing 31 total bases in 14 games with four homers.
In 2024, Soto earned a salary of $31 million from the Yanks after getting traded by the San Diego Padres. As per reports, the Dominican is expected to get a lot more, with projections in excess of $500 million with some inisders saying he could even come close to Shohei Ohtani's $700 million because of his youth and prowess at the plate.
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The Yankees have been vocal about signing him, while reports suggest their crosstown rivals the New York Mets are their biggest competition. Addressing that in his postgame interviews, Soto said that he's open to every team who would want to sign him.
"I don't know what's the teams that are going to come after me. Definitely, I'll be open to this and every single team. I don't have any doors closed. I"m gonna be available for all 30 teams," Soto said.
Juan Soto says Yankees fans' love could impact ownership to re-sign him
There were chants throughout the season in the Bronx, urging the Yankees ownership to re-sign Juan Soto and become the face of the organization alongisde Aaron Judge.
When asked about his reception, Soto said that it's likely to make the ownership retain him in the roster.
No matter which team ends up with a player like Soto, they are guaranteed one of the best htiters in the sport. Because of the sheer size of his contract projections, the Yankees and the Mets are likely to only face outside competition from the big market clubs.
