The New York Yankees are tearing it up in the MLB 2024 season, leading the American League standings at 30-15 as of this writing.
Integral to their strong start to the season is Juan Soto, who they acquired before the beginning of the season.
The team acquired the young outfielder from the San Diego Padres in December 2023 through a trade. To acquire his services, the Yankees let go of Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez, and Kyle Higashioka.
They gave up five players, and the Yankees already got the ROI.
Soto is batting .302 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs, and a .920 OPS in 45 games.
For that, the team plans to keep him, not just in the long term, but forever.
To do that, both camps have to get a little distracted, but they would not mind since Soto is a unique situation.
"I think we'd like to see him here for the rest of his career. I don't think there's any doubt in that. His agent, Scott, doesn't tend to do deals in the middle of the season. Neither do I. I think it can be a distraction," Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said in an interview with YES Network after their 5-0 win over the Minnesota Twins
"But as I said in spring training ... this is a unique situation and a very unique player, so I wouldn't be shocked if there was a conversation or two had possibly during the course of a season. I think it's worth doing at some point."
It is a welcome distraction.
Even Soto said he is ready to receive a call from his current club about contract talks.
"They know the phone number and everything. They know where to call," he said Wednesday.
Juan Soto Contract Extension Projection
Soto himself is chasing a massive payday.
In 2022, his first team, the Washington Nationals, offered him a 15-year, $440 million extension, but he decided not to accept it.
He played for the Padres for one season for $23 million and was just as good as his first four years in the league, making the 2023 All-Star team.
His current deal with the Yankees is $31 million for one year.
How much will he get after holding it out before a long-term contract?
Jon Heyman of the New York Post said his next contract may be worth at least $500 million, although he did not say how many seasons it will last.
If Steinbrenner wants to keep him in the team forever, the amount might go higher.
His deal could break the record for the largest contract in Yankees history.
The highest Yankees contract right now is owned by Aaron Judge, who recently signed a 9-year, $360 million contract extension.
Another active Yankees owns the No. 2 spot, although he is on the injured list.
In 2019, Gerrit Cole decided to stay for nine more years in New York to the tune of a $324 million contract.
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