After the New York Yankees won the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians on Oct. 19, the crowd in Cleveland began to chant, “Re-sign Soto.”
Fans have been cheering for the Yankees to keep right fielder Juan Soto for months at their home stadium in the Bronx, but the rallying cry emerged nearly 500 miles away after Soto swatted a go-ahead home run in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the ALCS.
The three-run home run led the Yankees to a 5-2 victory over the Guardians and sent the Yankees to the World Series, where they will face the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Soto, who turns 26 on Oct. 25, the same day as Game 1 of the World Series, has been one of the leading players for the Yankees during the postseason, batting .333 with three home runs and eight runs batted in.
But unlike other Yankees stars like center fielder Aaron Judge, who signed a nine-year, $360 million contract in 2022, Soto played under a one-year contract in 2024 — meaning he is poised to become a free agent once the World Series comes to an end.
Here’s what to know about Soto’s future with the Yankees.
Does Juan Soto have a contract in 2025?
Soto is not under contract for the 2025 season with any team. Prior to joining the Yankees, Soto played for the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals.
How much was Juan Soto’s 2024 contract worth?
After Soto was traded from the Padres to the Yankees in 2023, the Yankees and Soto agreed on a record-setting $31 million salary for the 2024 season.
Soto’s salary topped the previous record for an arbitration-eligible player set by Shohei Ohtani, who agreed on a $30 million salary in 2022 with the Los Angeles Angels before he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023.
How much could Juan Soto’s next contract be worth — and where would he play?
Experts have estimated a range of price tags for Soto’s long-term contract — Front Office Sports reported he could get at least $500 million, while two sources told CBS Sports it could be anywhere from $520 million to $540 million. The Athletic suggested it could be closer to $600 million.
As for where Soto could end up playing next season, it’s too soon to say.
In May, Soto said he was open to in-season talks about a long-term contract if the Yankees wanted to approach his agent, Scott Boras, according to The Associated Press.
At the time, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner told the team’s YES Network he would consider it as an option.
“I think we’d like to see him here for the rest of his career. I don’t think there’s any doubt in that. His agent, Scott, doesn’t tend to do deals in the middle of the season. Neither do I. I think it can be a distraction,” Steinbrenner said. “But as I said in spring training … this is a unique situation and a very unique player, so I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a conversation or two had possibly during the course of a season. I think it’s worth doing at some point.”
And while Yankees fans want Soto to stay in the Bronx, ESPN and The Athletic suggested that their crosstown rival, the New York Mets, could express interest in signing the player and bringing him to Queens.
Wherever he does end up signing, it will come at a price — Soto reportedly rejected a 15-year, $440 million deal to stay with the Nationals in 2022, sources told The Athletic at the time.
First appeared on www.today.com