The New York Yankees are only guaranteed to have the services of Juan Soto through the end of the 2024 season before he becomes a free agent, and while he could end up departing this offseason for another team, the Yankees have a chance to win the World Series this season, and the outfielder said he wants to be a part of the franchise’s storied history.
“Who doesn’t want to be part of Yankees history?” Juan Soto said, via Jorge Castillo of ESPN. “I think the only way to be part of Yankees history is being a champion.”
Soto has put up staggering offensive numbers and is arguably on track to have the best season of his career. While that is undoubtedly valuable, it is always championship or bust with the Yankees. That became even more true when the Yankees completed a trade for Soto in the offseason with the San Diego Padres, acquiring him even though he only had one year left of arbitration before becoming a free agent.
So far, it has been a slam-dunk trade for the Yankees, who lost pitching depth in the move but gained an impact bat that was much needed to pair with Aaron Judge.
While it would sting the Yankees and their fans no matter what if they lose Soto this offseason, especially if it is to the crosstown New York Mets, who are expected to make an aggressive pursuit, a World Series championship would make it a bit easier to stomach.
Yankees the favorite in a wide open American League
As of right now, the Yankees are the favorite to represent the American League in the World Series, while teams like the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles are right behind them. New York holds a 1.5-game lead over the Orioles in the American League East.
New York has 18 games left, while Baltimore has 17, which gives the Yankees a slight advantage when it comes to closing out the division in the next few weeks. The Orioles will also come to the Bronx for a three-game set with the Yankees in the second to last series of the season. That series could ultimately decide who wins the division and gets a bye to the ALDS, as opposed to needing to play in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Soto and the Yankees have it right in front of them, which is something that manager Aaron Boone has said many times over his tenure with the team. New York has a chance to enter the playoffs as the top seed in the American League for the first time since 2012. Home field advantage could prove to be a difference in a potential ALCS against a team like the Orioles or the Astros. It will be interesting to see if the Yankees are able to secure that over the next few weeks.
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