Yankees Predicted to Sign 4-Time Silver Slugger to $600 Million Deal
Speculation about how much it might take for the New York Yankees to retain Juan Soto beyond the 2024 season began almost as soon as they pulled off the blockbuster trade to acquire him in December.
You can’t blame fans for being eager to lock in the 25-year-old Soto, who is set to hit free agency after the season, beyond a one-year rental. He is a four-time Silver Slugger, three-time All-Star, former National League batting champion and has led the big leagues in OBP twice in his six-year career.
Projecting what it will cost to do so in their “Yankees 2024 bold predictions” for The Athletic, Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty predicted the team will get a deal done with Soto to the tune of $600 million.
“It’s so much money. It’ll also be so worth it,” they wrote. “Only five hitters have had at least 3,000 plate appearances through their age-24 season and had an OPS+ of at least 157. Soto is one of them. The others? Ty Cobb, Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Fox… The Yankees didn’t trade for Soto to not keep him around.”
A $600 Million Deal from the New York Yankees Would Make Juan Soto the Highest-Paid Hitter in MLB History
A $600 million contract would put Soto among the highest-paid players in MLB history. He would rank only behind Shohei Ohtani, who got $700 million to join the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason. But Ohtani is one of the best pitchers in the big leagues along with being one of its most prolific sluggers. The deal would put Soto at the top of all players who don’t take the mound.
The deal predicted by Kirschner and Kuty would bring Soto more than the $426.5 million extension Mike Trout got from the Los Angeles Angels in 2019, the $365 million extension Mookie Betts got from the Dodgers in 2020 and the $360 million deal Soto’s teammate Aaron Judge got from the Yankees in 2022.
And there’s reason to believe it will cost a record-setting amount to secure Soto’s services into the future.
