This may instill optimism in the hearts of New York Yankees supporters that Juan Soto will remain in the Bronx for many years to come.
According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Soto had a meeting with Hal Steinbrenner, the team’s owner, in July. The previously undisclosed meeting took place at Yankee Stadium in July.
The conversation focused on Soto’s past experiences with the Yankees, an insider told The Athletic. The insider said that the two spoke “How has he liked his stay with the team? From the perspective of a player who is new to the team, what could the Yankees do to improve the experience of playing for them? Kuty pens.
In an interview, Soto said to The Athletic, “It was good to get to know the owner.” “See what thoughts he has about me and everything.”
Before the 2024 season, the Yankees sent outfielder Trent Grisham and pitchers Michael King, Jhony Brito, Drew Thorpe, and Randy Vasquez, along with catcher Kyle Higashioka, to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Soto.
In his walk year, Soto is enjoying a tremendous season. Soto is hitting.288 with a.990 OPS, 177 OPS+, 41 home runs, 108 runs batted in, 128 runs scored, and 7.9 WAR (wins above replacement) going into Friday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Soto told The Athletic, “I think anybody would want to be in the Yankees history books.” “I’ve been making an effort to be a part of it for the entire year, if only temporarily. I’m doing all in my power to be among those books with the World Series winners. However, we’ll see. We’ll wait and see how things work out. Ultimately, you can never be certain that you will be present.
If not for teammate Aaron Judge’s incredible season, Soto may have been well on his way to winning his first MVP honor.During spring training, Steinbrenner spoke with Soto before their July meeting.
“Seeing (an owner) stop by to say hello, check on us, our plans, and other things is always a positive thing. “Having an owner who genuinely cares about players is fantastic,” Soto stated to The Athletic.
The 25-year-old superstar should remain with the Yankees for the “rest of his career,” according to Steinbrenner, who stated as much in May.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Steinbrenner stated. “Scott Boras, his agent, typically doesn’t do deals in the middle of the season.” I don’t either. It could be distracting, in my opinion. But this is a unique circumstance with a very unique guy, as I stated when I spoke with [the media] during Spring Training. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few conversations happened throughout the season.
“I believe it’s worthwhile to try at some point. I wanted to give Juan some time to truly get settled, talk to him later, and make sure that, above all, this is a place where he can picture himself for a long time.
Soto, according to Steinbrenner, is a “generational” talent.
“He is the entire package. I had absolutely no worries that he would do well under duress here. I was interested to see how he would behave around the spectators, the media, and the other players, of course, and all three of those aspects have been excellent. We’ve also witnessed his animated side. Observing him is entertaining.
At the 2022 MLB trade deadline, Soto was traded by the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres after he declined a $440 million, 15-year agreement.