Juan Soto didn’t give much away.
There wasn’t a remark or a gesture that intimated he’ll be a Yankee for life. There were no tea leaves suggesting he’s even looking forward to exploring free agency. We’re all wondering how committed the Yankees’ big offseason acquisition is to staying in the Bronx long term. But Soto was neutral, likely because his concrete thoughts and strong feelings on the subject need to develop over the course of the next year.
The Yankees, after months of pursuit, completed their trade for Soto at the end of last week’s winter meetings. New York sent five players, including prized right-hander Michael King, to the Padres in exchange for one year, at minimum, of Soto in pinstripes. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native will become a free agent after the 2024 season. The Yankees have roughly 11 months — a period they are determined to commemorate with a championship — to influence Soto to stay.
Soto got his first taste of being a Yankee on Tuesday, when he was made available by the team in a Zoom conference while residing in Miami. The undaunted 25-year-old wore a Yankees fitted cap and a No. 22 gold chain around his neck to go with his blue-patterned shirt. He smiled often and touched the brim of his cap while answering questions, the majority of which were centered on his future.
“My priorities right now are just, get to know the team, get to know the guys,” Soto said. “For me, I’m going to the team, to New York, to Tampa, whenever I’m going to meet those guys, and try to get a real good relationship and try to really stick together, get to know those guys, and try to push, try to get the same goal as they want. That’s what my main thing is right now.
“About any contract stuff, they know where to call and who to talk to. I’m here just to play baseball and try to keep concentrating [on] playing baseball.”
Soto said he’s looking forward to winning a championship with the Yankees and playing in front of a large contingent of fans who are from the Dominican Republic. The lefty slugger enjoys hitting at Yankee Stadium — “It’s a great batter’s box,” Soto said, “I’m not going to lie.” — and that he won’t change his swing to take advantage of the short porch in right field. His approach at the plate has generated a phenomenal 157 OPS+ through six seasons, so he has no intentions of altering it.
Aaron Judge was one of the first players to reach out to Soto after the trade was finalized. Gleyber Torres, Anthony Rizzo and Gerrit Cole also connected with the superstar to say congratulations and begin welcoming him to the Yanks. Soto said players reaching out meant a lot to him. It was special for Soto to learn directly from his new teammates how excited they are to play with him.
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