Jeff Passan makes foolproof case for Yankees’ legit interest in Juan Soto

According to the Mt. Everest’s Peak of MLB Insiders, the New York Yankees remain undeterred by the tremendous price for Nationals slugger Juan Soto, and haven’t exactly fallen back to the pack just yet.

In fact, they might’ve earned a spot right alongside current “favorites” the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals in the Soto race, per Jeff Passan’s latest update on ESPN Daily on Tuesday.

If you’re an optimist — and it’s tough to be mid-Subway Series, but stick with us here — it’s almost like Passan chose to differentiate the Yankees’ and Dodgers’ Soto chases by claiming New York is lurking while the Dodgers’ packages are staying hypothetical.

Obviously, this Soto cluster won’t feel as massive as it should until the league’s two biggest behemoths get involved, but Passan’s take on the Yankees feels informed. It’s in direct opposition to his take on the Dodgers, which feels like disbelief at how little they’re involved thus far.

Don’t believe us? Take a listen for yourself; Passan cites the Yankees’ supremacy in the international free agent market, as well as their win-now urgency, as key reasons why they might be more comfortable than you’d think surrendering the farm for Soto.

Yankees lurking behind Cardinals, Padres in Juan Soto chase, per Jeff Passan

Yankees as Santa Claus? We’ll take it over all the “Yankees as The Devil” rhetoric that we’re more used to hearing.

Passan’s points about the relative “pain” of gutting the farm system are the harsh truth Yankee fans need to hear. What relevance do prospects really have when a World Series is potentially around the corner? How long does it really take to build up a system anyway, with No. 1 international prospect Brandon Mayea (OF) about to join last year’s No. 1 prize Roderick Arias on the Yankees’ farm?

Most of New York’s jewels were mined between 2019 and the present day. If they surrender a massive haul for Soto, they’ll have a significant shot at slugging their way to a World Series each of the next three Octobers, and they’ll also have the best Aaron Judge insurance known to man.

Is completing a Soto deal “make or break” for the current administration? Of course not; acquiring pitching is still paramount. But the Yankees would be remiss not to be involved, with so much talent at stake.

According to Passan, don’t count them out just yet.

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