Even the owner of the New York Yankees isn’t sure where his team stands in the Juan Soto sweepstakes.
While Hal Steinbrenner’s candid admission to reporters Wednesday will likely do the opposite of reassure fans who would love to see Soto return to The Bronx, it’s an honest reflection of where the 26-year-old outfielder stands at a still-early stage in his free agency.
More news: MLB Executives Explain Why Yankees Are the Juan Soto Favorites: Report
The Monday meeting between Soto and a Yankees contingent that also included manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman lasted a couple hours, Steinbrenner said.
“No idea,” Steinbrenner said when asked how confident he is the Yankees will re-sign Soto. “We’ll be in the mix.”
Hal Steinbrenner on the Yankees’ meeting with Juan Soto: “We had a good meeting. It was very honest.”
He said it lasted a couple of hours.
How confident is Hal that Yanks will sign Soto?
“No idea,” he said. “We’ll be in the mix.”
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) November 20, 2024
Soto’s monster 2024 season was instrumental in the Yankees returning to the World Series for the first time since 2009. Batting ahead of probable AL Most Valuable Player Aaron Judge, he hit 41 homers, scored an American League-leading 128 runs, drove in 109, and reached base at a .419 clip in his first season in the Bronx.
Hal Steinbrenner said he had a good meeting with Juan Soto. It went a couple hours. No details.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) November 20, 2024
A free agent for the first time, Soto also met in the last week with the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to various reports. He is meeting with teams in Southern California because his agent, Scott Boras, is based in Newport Beach.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
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