Yankees' Soto focused on playoffs, with lucrative offseason looming

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yankees slugger Juan Soto knows there will come a time very soon that he will have to make a decision about his future.

He's trying to put it off as long as possible.

The four-time All-Star is poised to become the biggest free agent on the market this offseason — whenever that begins — with a potential contract worth a half-billion dollars coming his way. But Soto said before the Yankees beat the Royals 3-2 in Game 3 of their AL Division Series on Wednesday night that he is leaving his contract situation in the hands of his agent, Scott Boras.

“At the end of the day, I just try to focus on the game,” said Soto, who hit a sacrifice fly, drew two walks and scored a run.

"Like you said, I love this game, and I've been playing this game since I was a kid. I'm here more about the game — try to win, try to find a way to win — and try to help the team.”

Soto did nothing to dampen his market this season. He hit .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs while leading the league with 128 runs scored. And he was a big reason why the Yankees held off the Orioles for the AL East title.

At one point early in the year, Soto said he would be open to negotiating a contract with the Yankees during the season. Now, those discussions will have to take place once it is over — perhaps this week, depending on how the ALDS shakes out.

“The whole free agent talks and everything, I just leave that to my agent, let him handle it, and I just come every day to play baseball and to enjoy the game I love,” said Soto, who already has a World Series ring after helping the Nationals win the 2019 title in a dramatic seven-game series with Houston.

“That really makes it really easy for me,” Soto said. “I just play baseball. That's all I do.”

Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to become the long-term cornerstone of the Nationals, and they traded him to the Padres in an eight-player deal in August 2022. They made a run to the National League Championship Series in the fall but struggled last year, missing the playoffs entirely despite having the third-highest payroll in the majors.

The Padres are back in the playoffs this year, of course, facing the Dodgers in an NL Division Series. But they are doing it while Soto is playing for the Yankees after he was the centerpiece of a seven-player trade last December.

“When you put that jersey on and those pinstripes, it just feels different. Like you say, there’s so much history and everything, so many fans all over the world that we have, it’s just incredible,” Soto said. “Everywhere you go, the fans are there waiting for you, cheering for you, wishing you the best, and you feel that. You feel that in every aspect.”

That's one big reason — along with team budgets, of course — that Soto could be back in the Bronx next season.

His teammate, Aaron Judge, set the market in 2022 when he signed a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees. But then Shohei Ohtani shattered that mark when he landed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers.

Soto might not reach that astronomical number. But regardless, he doesn't seem to be worrying too much about it.

“No, no, I always keep that to my agent,” he said. “Even in my house and everything, we never even talk about that. We keep it simple — just come here, enjoy the moment, enjoy where we’re at, and we’ll see what happens.”

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