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A new addition to the New York Yankees roster, Juan Soto, recently became the highest earner of any arbitration-eligible player in MLB history. Soto bagged $31 million in salary for the year, avoiding arbitration and breaking the previous record held by two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani.
Off the field, Soto seems to be enjoying the off-season with his friends. In a throwback photo from Thursday, the former Padres player shared an Instagram story, where he was seen playing pool and made an impressive diagonal shot.
Earlier this offseason, the Yankees acquired Juan Soto and Trent Grisham from the San Diego Padres in exchange for RHP Michael King, RHP Drew Thorpe, RHP Jhony Brito, RHP Randy Vásquez and C Kyle Higashioka.
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This is Soto's last season under team control before he heads to free agency next offseason. The Yankees are expected to do their best to retain his services, but it will depend on how competitive they are this season, as a down season will push Soto away to stay in New York.
Juan Soto's impressive start to MLB career
Hailing from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Juan Soto was signed as an international free agent by the Washington Nationals in 2015. The acquisition turned out to be great for the Nats, who missed out on retaining All-Star Bryce Harper.
In his second year in majors, Soto contributed immensely to the Nationals first World Series title in 2019. He came close to winning the World Series MVP, finishing second to eventual winner Stephen Strasbaurgh after slashing .333/.438/.741 with three HR and seven RBIs in the World Series.
Soto and Josh Bell were traded to the San Diego Padres on Aug. 2, 2022, in exchange for CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell, James Wood, Jarln Susana and Luke Voit.
With the Padres, Soto continued to make All-Star appearances but couldn't carry his team in the postseason. Last season, he played all 162 games, hitting .275 with 35 home runs, 109 RBIs and a league-leading 132 walks.
