Tag: New York Yankees

The latest Juan Soto rumors about where the Yankees star will sign during MLB free agency

The Yankees and Mets are the favorites but not the only options.

New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto is the biggest star available in the MLB and fans are eagerly awaiting to find out where he will sign.

After helping lead the Yankees to win the American League before falling short to the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, the 26-year-old outfielder and former National League batting champion will have a robust market awaiting him.

While it is unclear if he will sign the most lucrative contract in baseball history, it is possible that his deal could at least approach that territory or potentially reach its own milestone.

After meeting with a handful of teams around the league, here are the latest rumors about Soto and how he could fit with the top suitors.

New York Yankees

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner described it as a “good meeting” and called signing Soto a “priority” for their offseason, per The Athletic. Steinbrenner, however, has previously called New York’s payroll “not sustainable” and the organization is also reportedly prepared for scenarios in which the slugger does not re-sign with the franchise.

For what it is worth, though, 12 out of the 18 MLB executives polled by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers believed Soto will remain with the Yankees.

New York Mets

Perhaps the most likely spoiler for the Yankees is their crosstown rival in New York. As we wrote earlier this month, Soto is getting recruited to the Mets by Francisco Lindor.

The Mets are reportedly willing to spend $50 million more than any other team in this free agency pursuit, per Yankees announcer Michael Kay. He is currently expected to take the biggest offer with the most money and most years, per The Athletic, which makes the Mets a very likely option thanks to owner Steve Cohen.

Los Angeles Dodgers

According to his agent, Soto’s biggest priority is winning. If that is the case, he will have the best chance to do so in Los Angeles. There are some reports that Soto prefers to play on the East Coast, but New York Post reporter Jon Heyman said a confidant “downplayed” the importance of geography in this decision.

However, per The Athletic, it would reportedly be “seen as an upset in the industry” if Soto does not sign with one of the two teams in New York. ESPN’s Jeff Passan added that the Dodgers “won’t chase after” Soto after the organization landed Shohei Ohtani.

San Francisco Giants

San Francisco is reportedly one of the mystery teams for Soto and have a “legit” chance to get him, per Heyman. The organization reportedly tried to trade for him last year before the Padres eventually dealt him to the Yankees, and they were one of the only front offices to actually offer $700 million to Ohtani in 2023 as well.

San Francisco, however, is expected to reduce payroll next season so signing Soto is antithetical to that route.

Toronto Blue Jays

One player who shares an agent with Soto reportedly said the Blue Jays are prepared to make an “astronomical” offer to Soto, per NJ.com. Much like the Giants, the franchise tried to trade for the slugger and also made an offer for Ohatani last season but came up short on both. Passan reported that Toronto is “serious” about trying to sign Soto.

However, as noted by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, would it even make sense to try to secure Soto before even having Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette signed to long-term contract extensions?

Boston Red Sox

Boston is another organization with Soto at the “top of its want list” this offseason, per Passan. Like the Blue Jays, the Red Sox are reportedly also chasing all of the top pitchers available this offseason as well.

Soto was “impressed” by Boston’s presentation during their meeting, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic. But are they close enough to contending for him to actually sign there?

No meetings yet but possible suitors: Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres

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The Rays finally made their decision on where they will play for the 2025 MLB season and it makes sense

Tropicana Field’s roof was destroyed by Hurricane Milton.

While much of the Tampa-St. Petersburg area avoided the worst of Hurricane Milton. The same couldn’t be said for Tropicana Field, and the Rays were forced to look for a new home in 2025 as a result.

That decision has been made, and it comes courtesy of an AL East rival.

The damage to Tropicana Field’s roof was so severe that the city quickly said it wouldn’t be fixed in time for the 2025 season. And further analysis showed that the damage itself would run up a repair cost of nearly $55 million. Given the Rays’ construction of a new stadium set to open in 2028 and the city’s downgraded insurance policy on The Trop, we might never see that roof get repaired.

Well, the Rays can thank the New York Yankees in the meantime because they are heading to Steinbrenner Field — the Yankees’ spring training facility — this season.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays elected to stay in Tampa rather than explore options in different markets. As we pointed out last month, the Marlins’ LoanDepot Park could have been a choice for consideration (given the roof and MLB-ready facilities), but that would force players and staff across the organization to relocate.

Steinbrenner Field won’t be without its challenges. For one, it’s an open-air stadium. That will get especially brutal in the summers when the Rays have to deal with heat, humidity and frequent rain delays. The 11,000-seat capacity is tiny, but the Rays should at least be able to reliably fill that stadium — something they struggled to do at The Trop.

They should probably get used to seeing Yankees logos constantly, though. That could get awkward, but this was the sensible choice given the tough circumstances.

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Juan Soto is getting recruited to the Mets by Francisco Lindor, who could lure him from Yankees

Juan Soto is the biggest free agent available in the MLB.

After a shocking postseason run in 2024, the New York Mets are looking to improve by potentially adding a crosstown rival from the New York Yankees.

Although the Mets and Yankees did not actually get to face off against each other in the MLB World Series for the first time in more than two decades, they will have their own competition this offseason in the free agency pursuit of Juan Soto.

According to baseball insider Jeff Passan, the Mets and Yankees are the “two favorites” to sign the four-time MLB All-Star. Here is more from Passan on how the Mets are getting help from another star already on their roster (via ESPN):

“The Mets’ pursuit has gotten a hand from shortstop Francisco Lindor, who would love another star in Queens and has taken a role in recruiting Soto, while the Yankees can point to Soto’s excellence in the Bronx this season as a precursor for more.”

Lindor, also a four-time All-Star, came to the Mets in 2021 and was in contention for the National League MVP this past season.

JUAN SOTO FREE AGENCY: Where will Yankees star sign for 2025?

The presence of both Lindor and Soto would make the Mets one of the most intimidating teams in the NL again next season.

New York’s Pete Alonso is also a free agent, but it appears Mets owner Steve Cohen is willing to spend whatever it takes to make this team contend for a title.

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SNL Weekend Update roasted the Yankees fans who grabbed Mookie Betts

The fans got rightfully roasted by SNL Weekend Update.

You kind of had to know this was coming.

Saturday Night Live — which featured the real Kamala Harris in the cold open — had it’s usual Weekend Update sketch with Colin Jost and Michael Che, and of course they roasted the New York Yankees fans who grabbed Mookie Betts and pried the ball out of the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s glove.

The joke started with Jost noting that Dodgers fans looted a Nike store after the win.

“That is just disgusting,” Jost remarked. “Yankees fans would never steal sporting goods, unless it was during the game.”

Guess what photo popped up on the screen? You nailed it.

Watch:

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Gerrit Cole opted out of his mega Yankees contract (but here’s why he’s likely staying put)

The Yankees have a $36 million decision to make with their ace

Gerrit Cole may be a Yankee fan today, tomorrow, forever, but that didn’t stop him throwing New York’s front office a curveball on Saturday by opting out of his contract.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, the Yankees’ ace informed the team of his decision to forgo the remaining four years and $144 million on his contract to become a free agent.

However the Yankees don’t have to let him walk away. The team can nullify Cole’s opt out clause by adding an additional one year and $36 million to his contract and lock up the pitcher through 2029 (bringing his remaining term to five years, $180 million).

New York has until Sunday night to invalidate the opt out and, according to Passan, the belief is that he’ll stay put:

The expectation is that the Yankees will add the $36 million to keep Cole at the top of their rotation and ensure that they don’t potentially lose multiple integral players, with star outfielder Juan Soto hitting free agency.

It’s certainly a bit of awkward timing for the 34-year-old righty who signed a Yankees’ franchise record nine-year, $324 million contract in 2019.

While Cole won the American League Cy Young Award in 2023, he only pitched the second half of the season in 2024 while dealing with an elbow injury. In Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers on Wednesday, Cole contributed to five unearned runs scored by L.A. after not covering first base during New York’s meltdown in the fifth inning.

If the Yankees decline to meet Cole’s demands, the pitcher will be among the most sought-after players on the open market.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes ribs former teammate after Dodgers’ World Series win

Patrick Mahomes continued his war of words with ex-#Chiefs WR Gehrig Dieter when the #Yankees lost to the #Dodgers in the World Series.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has always been an avid baseball fan and took his affinity for the game to a new level by buying a minority share of the Royals in 2020.

Earlier this month, the star quarterback went viral for giving former Chiefs wide receiver Gehrig Dieter, a lifelong New York Yankees fan, a hard time during the Royals’ ALDS run.

Though New York would ultimately take the series and defeat the Royals before punching their ticket to the World Series, Mahomes and Dieter continued sparring about the Yankees on Twitter throughout the MLB playoffs.

When the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated New York in the World Series last night, Mahomes took one last jab at his former teammate:

 

Expect Mahomes and Dieter to continue the war of words if the Royals and Yankees meet in the American League playoffs next season.

The Yankees just totally handed the Dodgers a dynasty

The Yankees just flat out forgot how to play baseball.

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners! Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win today. We appreciate your time. Happy FTWeen! Ok. Sorry. That’s corny.

Let’s talk about this World Series, man.

It looks like the morons who tried to snatch off Mookie Betts’ glove in Game 4 are actually the luckiest (yet, simultaneously, the dumbest) Yankees fans in the world. They didn’t have to watch their team forget how to play baseball in Game 5.

The top of the fifth was an absolute nightmare. Aaron Judge couldn’t catch anymore. Anthony Volpe forgot how to throw.  Gerrit Cole didn’t think it was important to cover first base. Maybe most importantly, Aaron Boone decided it was the perfect time to just vibe out? It was truly bizarre.

But that’s also the perfect way to describe the series. ESPN’s win probability formula gave New York an 88.7 percent chance of winning the game then, much like the Yankees had a 96.5 percent chance of winning Game 5. Both leads were blown. What could’ve been a 3-2 series lead is, instead, a Dodgers’ World Series win.

That’s devastating. New York basically just handed the Dodgers a dynasty.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: 12 photos of the Dodgers celebrating their championship in Yankee Stadium

And I know what you’re thinking. “Dynasty? It’s way too early to talk about dynasty.” But, folks. Is it really? This Dodgers team is good. It will be good for the foreseeable future. The version of this team we saw this year isn’t even the best it will be.

Let me remind you that LA just won it all with Shohei Ohtani batting 2-for-15 in the series. Let me also remind you that he hasn’t pitched all season. The team’s starting rotation will get one of the best arms in baseball next season without actually adding anyone.

They’ve got some key guys hitting free agency, but Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Tyler Glasnow, Freddie Freeman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are all under contract through 2027 at the very least. The core of this team isn’t going anywhere.

So I suggest we buckle in, folks. Yes, it’s a little early to talk about dynasty. Baseball is a bit random and anything can happen from year to year. But this certainly feels like it could be one in the making.

And the Yankees just gave it away. Tough.

Speaking of Ohtani …

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The “Tungsten Arm” O’Doyle curse is finally broken, Charles Curtis writes.

Now that Ohtani has finally won it all without having shattered some obscure record, he’s free to live his life again. Here’s Charles with more:

“For years while on the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani would do amazing, miraculous things and the team would somehow continue to lose. It inspired a meme back in 2021 — @matttomic posted on X (formerly Twitter) this statement: “every time I see an Angels highlight it’s like “Mike Trout hit three homes runs and raised his average to .528 while Shohei Ohtani did something that hasn’t been done since ‘Tungsten Arm’ O’Doyle of the 1921 Akron Groomsmen, as the Tigers defeated the Angels 8-3′”

Ever since then, a “Tungsten Arm O’Doyle game” became a thing, even when he joined the Dodgers.

But Ohtani struggled mightily in the World Series and hurt his shoulder. Yet the Dodgers still won.”

I’m so glad we can finally let this rest. I bet Ohtani is, too.

Bronny did the thing

Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Bronny James scored his first NBA bucket while the Lakers were getting blown out by the Cavaliers.

But it’s the how here that makes me chuckle. He put a bit of flare on his dad’s signature move to get it done. It was one of those patented LeBron James stepback jumpers that wasn’t really a step back.

That should look familiar.

It really does run in the family. The Cavaliers let Bronny cut down the net where he scored his first points. That’s a pretty cool gesture from an organization that didn’t have to do that. What a nice moment.

BRON IS UNMOVED: LeBron James hilariously didn’t react to Bronny’s first basket.

Quick hits: Juan Soto on the move? … The NBA’s 3-point problem … and more

— Juan Soto sure doesn’t sound like he’s itching to return to New York. Here’s Charles Curtis with more.

— Prince Grimes says the NBA has a 3-point problem here in the latest send for Layup Lines.

— Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez absolutely ripped the Yankees for fumbling the win. Blake Schuster has more.

— Will Smith just keeps winning rings. Well, it’s a different Will Smith every time. But Will Smith! Cory Woodroof explains.

— Bo Nix “growing up” watching Lamar Jackson is kind of nuts. Robert Zeglinski has more.

— Victor Wembanyama reportedly doesn’t say Chet Holmgren’s name because he takes their rivalry that seriously. Maybe he should next time so he can play better in the next matchup.

That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading. We appreciate you giving us a bit of your time. Have a great Thursday and a Happy Halloween. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️

The Juan Soto free agency frenzy began with him saying he’s ‘available for all 30 teams’

It shouldn’t be a surprise about what he said.

What was Juan Soto supposed to say?

The biggest name by far on the free-agent market this winter in Major League Baseball had just lost the World Series with the New York Yankees, but with a big payday on the way no matter where he goes, Soto basically said he was open for business.

He was also spotted taking a moment in the dugout at Yankee Stadium and pointing to the sky. You can read into any of this any way you want to, but it all makes sense for the superstar as he prepares to hear from anyone — including the Yankees — who wants his services.

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Why Yankees Stadium playing New York, New York after World Series defeat wasn’t a big deal

This wasn’t anything to get upset about.

The New York Yankees lost Game 5 of the 2024 World Series on Wednesday night as they dropped their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1.

However, some controversy bubbled up as Jomboy shared Yankees Stadium still played Frank Sinatra’s classic song “New York, New York” after the Dodgers’ win.

That got baseball fans in a frenzy, but it’s the song that Yankees Stadium plays after every game whether New York wins or loses.

It might sting a good bit after the team lost a championship to hear Sinatra’s legendary song, but it’s just business as usual at Yankees Stadium to play the song.

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez ripped the Yankees for their Game 5 meltdown

When The Captain calls out the Yankees, you know it’s bad.

It takes quite a bit for Derek Jeter to speak ill of the New York Yankees. He is The Captain, after all. Yet not even two of the most famous ballplayers to don the pinstripes could spin what happened in the Bronx on Wednesday night.

After the Yankees completely melted down in the fifth inning of Game 5 — blowing a 5-0 lead by giving up five unearned runs to the Dodgers — Jeter and former teammate Alex Rodriguez struggled to comprehend how the Yankees could make such mistakes on the Fox postgame show.

Dodgers World Series Photo Gallery: 12 photos of Los Angeles’ World Series celebration at Yankee Stadium

“I don’t know if I’ve ever quite seen an inning like this,” Jeter said. “Especially in a World Series or postseason game.”

Rodriguez struck an even harsher tone.

“This is one of the greatest meltdowns that I’ve ever seen in 40 years,” A-Rod said.

If you’re going to be on a national baseball show, you’ve got to speak the truth about what you saw, but you know that had to feel super uncomfortable for the former New York legends.

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