I knew when Hal came out with the comments that he would be open to discussing and extension with Soto in season something was fishy.
It’s obvious that Soto and boras are going to FA so what was the point of that comment?
I figured it was so when they lose out on Soto in the offseason they can say we tried everything we could we really wanted him to stay but we just couldn’t match the insane offer. To try and dampen the anger that Yankees fans will undoubtedly have.
Now he comes out with this. It became even more clear to me that is exactly what he was doing. I’m enjoying this one year of Soto but that’s just what it is. It’s one year
here's the thing:
If he doesn't sign Soto for whatever reason, he shouldn't sign anyone. Pivoting will just make us hate whoever he brought in. For example, don't let Soto walk and then think I'll be happy that you brought back Gleyber. Don't let Soto sign with the Mets and think a George-like move (signing Alonso) is gonna make people more amped. Look at the crowds. As I said earlier, the merch. The fans are INTO this and if you've seen the Yankees live, Soto is connected with the fans. If they let hookahs in, he'd probably puff one between innings.
But truth be told, the young cost controlled guys are almost all up. Wells, Volpe, Dominguez, Schmidt, Gil, most of the pen, soon Jones, Peraza or Arias, Hampton. After next year, no more Hicks, Donaldson, Rizzo, DJ with 1 year left, one real year of paying Stanton left.
The Yankees will find that it woulda been easier to justify letting Judge walk than letting Soto walk. At least you could understand the downside to 9-10 years of Judge later in his career. Soto is the most no-brainer, keep at all costs Yankee since prime Bernie Williams.