The Yankees entered the offseason in a unique advantageous position over their rivals in the race to sign superstar Juan Soto. Since they were already employing him for the 2024 season, no “getting acquainted” meeting was necessary.

At some point this monthgeneral manager Brian Cashman wasn’t sure the team would need to meet Soto face to face as their rivals planned meetings with agent Scott Boras.

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Thursday, the Boston Red Sox would have met for three hours with Soto. And while their four-man contingent could have made the most of a “productive” meeting with Soto, according to Sean McAdam of MassLive.comit’s no substitute for having it in your clubhouse for an entire season.

How far does the Yankees advantage go?

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This has been a topic of debate in the Bronx, where fans seem to think Soto might be taking advantage of a “hometown discount” to stay in pinstripes.

Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay on the YES Network spoke with Chris Kirschner and Randy Wilkins about Views from 314 feet podcast to bridge the gap between perception and reality.

“If Soto liked being a Yankee and the numbers are close, I think that’s where they win,” Kay said. “Where the fans are completely wrong, they think he wants to go to the Yankees and he’s going to take less money – well, when you have Scott Boras as your agent, you have Scott Boras for a reason .Scott is going to try to get you the biggest dollar, try to set financial records, and things like that.

“I think if there’s a difference of a million dollars a year, I think he enjoyed his time with the Yankees, he’ll probably sign with the Yankees,” Kay continued. “But I think if it’s a difference of $5 or $10 million a year every year, I think he’ll leave. I think he’s a guy who wants to make the most money and set records .”

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Soto, 26, hit a career-high 41 home runs for the Yankees in 2024, helping the team to its first World Series appearance in 15 years. He is widely expected to command the most lucrative contract of any free agent this offseason – if ever – after scoring an American League-leading 128 runs, driving in 109 runs and reaching base at a clip of .419 in his first season in the Bronx. .

The Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and New York Yankees are all scheduled to meet Soto in California this month.

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