Juan Soto talks potential extension with Yankees: ‘They know where to call and who to talk to’
The Yankees made the first big splash in the offseason when they acquired Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres in a seven-player deal.
And while Soto will man the Yankee Stadium outfield alongside Aaron Judge, a lot of focus has been on whether the three-time All-Star will stay in the Bronx following the 2024 season. The 25-year-old will enter free agency for the first time in his six seasons and told the media Tuesday via Zoom that he’s not thinking about a potential extension.
“My priority is to get to know the team and get to know the guys right now,” Soto said. “For me, I’m going to the team… and try to get a good relationship and stick together to get to know those guys. And try to get the same goal on day one. That’s my main thing right now.
“Any contract stuff, they know where to call and who to talk to. I’m here to play baseball and keep concentrating on playing baseball.”
Soto is represented by Scott Boras, who is notorious for having his high-profile clients enter free agency for potential big paydays.
Although that doesn’t preclude the Yankees from retaining Soto after he hits free agency. The Mets brought back Brandon Nimmo -- another Boras client -- after the 2022 season, and Soto says any extension talks won’t distract him from playing baseball.
“I’ve been doing it for six years,” Soto said. “It’s not going to be that hard [to keep extension talks from becoming distracting] because I have one of the best agents in the league. I put everything on him and let him do his magic. For me, my mindset is to just play baseball and win a championship.”
The Yankees will have a full season to try and convince Soto to want to play in New York after his contract is up. And while Soto didn’t talk too much about his thoughts on where he would want to play, he did say that he wants to get to know the organization and the team, which could only help him figure out his long-term future.
“We just have to get to know the organization, know the team,” he said. “Right now, I’m more than excited to get there and see those guys and see how big Judge and [Giancarlo] Stanton is, that’s going to be really cool. That's what I'm looking forward to, just to get comfortable on the team and watch how it’s going to be and how we’re going to grow from it.”
It’s not uncommon that teammates try to convince pending free agents to stay on, we saw that a bit with Anthony Rizzo and Judge when the reigning 2022 AL MVP explored free agency, but Soto doesn’t expect that from his new teammates.
The young outfielder is focused on bringing another championship to the Bronx.
“I don’t think that’s their job. That’s somebody else’s job. We’re here to make friends, make good relationships, and try to be out there and play good baseball, [my free agency is] the last thing they’re going to be talking about. We’re just going to go out there and talk baseball and win championships.”
Since last winning the World Series in 2009, the Yankees have yet to even make the Fall Classic. After missing the postseason in 2023, the team hopes the addition of Soto will get them back to being World Series contenders again.
In six seasons, Soto has been one of the best players in baseball, amassing a .284 average with a .421 on-base percentage, 160 home runs and 483 RBI.
When asked what the perfect 2024 season looks like to him, Soto was direct.
"Just winning a championship."
