MLB Network host just spoiled offseason with accidental Juan Soto-Yankees admission
If Jake Peavy truly just dropped a "spoiler alert" for the 2024-25 offseason on MLB Network after Aaron Judge's American League MVP win, we're fine with stopping the winter right now.
Peavy, a 2013 World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox, would likely prefer that Juan Soto leaves the New York Yankees in the coming weeks, whether or not he ends up landing in Beantown as an alternative. It's safe to say that anyone who doesn't love the Yankees absolutely hates them — including ex-players — and Peavy's more-recent-than-2009 ring stands as tangible proof of what side he's on.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Peavy seemed excited on Thursday night about the possibility of the Yankees losing Soto in the coming weeks. But that's not how he phrased it.
In a segment about how the Yankees' offense "bangs" annually, regardless of personnel (debatable, but ... sure), Peavy had this to say about their 2025 prospects: "It's going to be interesting to see what that offense looks like in this coming year with no Juan Soto. We spoke about who hit behind Judge: Stanton. Is he going to be healthy and be able to do what we saw in the postseason, sustainability-wise? No Gleyber Torres, no Rizzo, and there's gonna be some big shakeups in that Yankee team. Offense is gonna look a lot different, but I expect the same: to bang."
MLB Network's Jake Peavy is excited for Yankees' offense without Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo
So, if you're keeping score, that's two players the Yankees intend to walk away from (Torres and Rizzo, whose option was declined) and one they're currently attempting to bring back at a $700 million cost, ostensibly, spoken about with the same tone of finality. Either Peavy is speaking about the Yankees, as they currently stand, or he just said the quiet part out loud.
Unlike Torres, Soto's social media still screams "Yankees." Everything we've heard thus far indicates the same reality we entered the offseason with: Soto was a perfect fit in the Bronx, but the Mets have to be the betting favorite because of Steve Cohen's impossibly deep pockets. Those who can't envision him turning down the Mets' money will never pivot until they absolutely have to. Those who don't believe in Steinbrenner's finances won't until he gives them a reason to.
Ideally, though, the Yankees are still very much involved, and Peavy (whose Boston ties can't be ignored here) was simply making a slip of the tongue.