Juan Soto isn’t the only Yankee with walk year motivations
When the Yankees first acquired Juan Soto in December, Brian Cashman acknowledged that the slugger could ultimately spend just one season in pinstripes.
“We understand that he’s a free agent at the end of this term,” the general manager said. “We understand that it’s a possible short-term situation.”
Soto, a Scott Boras client expecting a massive payday, is all but guaranteed to test the open market after the 2024 campaign comes to an end. He won’t be the only Yankee to do so.
The team’s other expected free agents include Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo, Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Loáisiga and Caleb Ferguson. The Yankees’ hope is that those players will find some inspiration in their impending free agency as the club seeks a return to the playoffs.
“I think anytime a guy is in a free agent or walk year, that’s one of those additional carrots that exist, hopefully, for a guy to make sure, man, I’ve got to do everything possible to put myself in position to be the best I could possibly be,” Aaron Boone, entering the last guaranteed year of his own contract, said at the start of spring training. “Yeah, I think it can be a motivator. I think sometimes it can be a pressure, too, that probably goes the other way. It’s how you handle it. Hopefully it is another one of those things that drives you in the right way to be uber prepared for what’s ahead.”
Boone has used that word — “carrot” — when talking about some of the individuals above, including Verdugo and Torres.
A newcomer like Soto, Verdugo fell short of expectations on and off the field in Boston, his last stop. However, Boone believes there is more in the outfielder’s bat, which has produced roughly league average results over the last three seasons.
“When he goes to swing at a pitch, he can lay the barrel of the bat on the ball,” the manager said. “That’s always kind of been a calling card of his going back to when he was a prospect with the Dodgers. But I also think there’s some thump in there. There’s probably more to tap into. I don’t want him to go chase that necessarily. I want him to just be a good hitter in what we hope’s a really good lineup, but I do feel like there’s a lot more in there.”
Because of his free agency and a few young outfielders, including Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones, Verdugo may not stay in the Bronx beyond this season. However, the lefty swinger could entice other teams if he takes advantage of Yankee Stadium’s short porch and stays on his best behavior.
While Torres wants to remain, that scenario seems unlikely, as the second baseman has been the subject of trade rumors for years and has not heard from the Yankees about a possible extension.
However, Torres is hoping that a strong season leads to contract talks this winter.
“I don’t want to leave here. I feel at home right now,” Torres recently said. “I want to be a Yankee for life.”
Torres added that he didn’t blame the Yankees for not approaching him with a deal, as he noted that extensions for Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks didn’t work out for the team.
Hal Steinbrenner also mentioned his preference to avoid extensions. However, the owner wouldn’t say no to one for Soto, so long as it didn’t cause a distraction.
“I’m not big on extensions, as you know,” Steinbrenner said. “We’ve rarely done them. My concern dealing with that during the season is that it’s a distraction — at least it very well could be a distraction. Having said that — talking about Soto — if both sides feel very strongly about it and Cash feels very strongly about it, then that’s something I would consider depending on how the season’s going. We just can’t have it be a distraction.”
Soto, meanwhile, doesn’t want to look too far ahead, though questions about his future will persist.
“I have a lot of trust in [Boras] and what he’s going to do,” Soto said. “I trust him so much that I just forget about that and I just come here to play baseball.”
While no doors are being slammed shut, the Yankees would have to blow Soto and Boras away with an offer to land a signature prior to free agency. Even that may not be enough to stop the slugger from testing the open market.
Getting an extension signed by someone like Holmes, who has proven capable of closing in New York, may be more doable.
While the righty said that he hasn’t thought about his future when asked about it on Tuesday, Holmes is another impending free agent who enjoys playing for the Yankees and is open to a long-term deal.
However, there have not been any extension talks between the two sides, and the Yankees have demonstrated a knack for finding relief diamonds in the rough. Holmes is an example of one, and the Yankees could use more cost-efficient approaches to replace him and some of their other bullpen pieces heading for free agency.
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