Major League Baseball

Yankees all-in on winning World Series, retaining Juan Soto in 2024

Published Dec. 7, 2023 9:10 p.m. ET

The Yankees aren't yet concerned about what will happen next winter, when Juan Soto is set to become a free agent. As general manager Brian Cashman said following his blockbuster trade for one of the game's purest hitters, "the future is always now."

For now, Soto is a Yankee. The club's unrelenting pursuit of the former Padres slugger who could command a long-term deal in the range of $500 million in free agency means only one thing: The Yankees are fully committed to winning their 28th championship in franchise history — and they're betting it all on the upcoming season.

"We're just very proud of the fact that we can call him a Yankee at this time with the full intention of taking a shot at the title," Cashman said.

This pressure is, of course, a product of this past season's disaster. The Bronx Bombers missed the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Their play all year long was drab and uninspired, the veteran-laden club's flaws exposed. Thus, the urgency to erase any memory of 2023 begins now, with Soto. The Yankees' only focus is 2024; that's as far as their future plans will go.

There is no need for Cashman and Soto's super agent, Scott Boras, to sit down over an expensive dinner and discuss a possible long-term extension for the slugger. Cashman knows that's not how Boras operates. The GM's comments in a Zoom conference Thursday revealed what most already surmised: Cashman has not had a conversation with Boras regarding a Soto extension.

"We understand that he's a free agent at the end of this term," Cashman said. "We understand it's a possible short-term situation."

The Yankees' one-year partnership with Soto will allow them to directly recruit him long term. By even trading for him in the first place, Aaron Judge's club has a better shot at influencing him to stay.

Much of the franchise's selling points are built into this calculated and historical image of the Yankees. They're an organization founded on decades of winning, despite being in the midst of a 14-year championship drought. The Yankees pride themselves on the people they employ, extending to their clubhouse, manager, coaches, and front-office staff. New York's fan base is frequently flashed as one of the greatest in the world. The Big Apple, itself, is an attraction for most.

"There's a lot to offer," Cashman said. "We certainly want to try all our ways, under the Steinbrenner leadership, to make this the mecca of baseball and also to make this an amazing and enjoyable experience for players and their families alike. If we take care of stuff like that, that recruiting effort becomes somewhat automatic. But hey, there's 29 other teams with tremendous opportunities and cities out there with people in their own right, and operations that they run. So that's why it's always a competition."

Soto has been on the Yankees' radar dating back to the summer. Cashman inquired about him before the 2023 trade deadline, and Padres general manager A.J. Preller discussed the possibility of the slugger being traded. The Yankees got a solid idea of what San Diego would want in return, and the Padres understood how serious Cashman was about securing a deal for Soto. The Padres, just like the Yankees at that time, were not sure if they should cut their losses on a disappointing season or hold onto Soto and keep adding, keep pushing for a playoff run that, ultimately, never came.

So, Cashman, alongside Yankees advisor Omar Minaya, picked up his conversation with Preller in Scottsdale, Arizona earlier this offseason.

"We were very vocal and public," Cashman said. "We weren't just looking for one left-hander, but two, especially with the Jasson Domínguez injury."

Discussions about a Soto trade were put on hold after Padres owner Peter Seidler passed away last month. Talks were also paused while the Padres completed their manager search. Cashman felt confident a deal would eventually be reached between the two sides. The momentum from their conversations, which began in the summer, had made that clear. Finally, the deal came to a conclusion on the final day of the winter meetings.

It marked the return of the Evil Empire, a bold and mighty version of the Yankees that had been missing in recent years. Hal Steinbrenner's way of owning the Yankees has been different, more measured and cautious, than the way his dad, George, preferred to handle the franchise. But the Yankees' furious pursuit of Soto reflected how the fan base and much of the public still expects the club to operate.

"It's another manifestation of the Steinbrenner legacy," Cashman said. "I think George Steinbrenner always felt that the best players in the world should play here for the New York Yankees and I think that was always what he tried to accomplish and had a lot of success along the way — not always being able to pull them off, but always trying to do that. And, obviously, Hal Steinbrenner and [his sisters] Jenny and Jessica have continued those efforts. Juan Soto is the latest example of that."

Another example will be if the Yankees manage to pony up and sign Soto long term next offseason. With Soto only 25 years old, the Yankees have the opportunity to ensure that the potential future Hall of Famer wears only pinstripes for the rest of his prime. This upcoming season has a lot riding on it, for Soto and the Yankees. It all starts with the one thing both sides care about most: winning.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.