What the Yankees must avoid during the Juan Soto free agency saga

The New York Yankees have their sights set on their upcoming ALDS series against the Kansas City Royals, which begins on Saturday.

However, what is still on the minds of all Yankees fans is what will happen to superstar Juan Soto this summer.

As you probably already know, Soto will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will almost certainly receive the largest contract in MLB history.

You probably also know by now that the general consensus is that the bidding war for Soto’s services will likely come down to the Yankees and their cross-city rival New York Mets.

What seems to work in the Yankees’ favor is their unmatched track record of attracting (and retaining) MLB superstars. The most recent example of this is MVP favorite Aaron Judge, who tested the free agency waters last offseason before deciding to return to the Bronx.

However, Bleacher Report’s Erik Beaston explains in an October 1 article that New York can’t use the same free agency strategy with Soto as they did with Judge – otherwise they could lose Soto for good.

“[Yankees owner Hal] “Previously, Steinbrenner waited until the last minute to give Aaron Judge what he wanted as a free agent, ultimately convincing him not to leave,” Beaston wrote.

“If he waits too long with Soto, the All-Star could very well be on his way across town to a Mets team that could use his bat, especially if they don’t re-sign Pete Alonso.”

Beaston later added, “If he thinks he can get it from the Mets or another team, he’ll leave the Yankees in the rearview mirror.”

For Yankees fans, this is a frightening prospect. Fortunately, the fact that Steinbrenner met with Soto back in July shows that he appears to be taking a proactive approach.