As swarms of Mets fans pathetically attempt to ruin the Yankees' good time by pretending that Juan Soto will be theirs eventually (cool), Ashley Rodón had a clear and helpful idea for how the Yankees could make this all go away.
Pay the man. Pay the man who's changed everything already for the 2024 Yankees. It doesn't have to be a midseason extension. It doesn't have to be Day 1 of free agency. It just has to get done. If the Rodón family is going to be around long-term (and they are), they'd much rather spend their remaining years in the Bronx with Soto leading the charge. Simple as that.
While Ashley had many different opportunities this weekend to tweet about "paying the man" -- the throw that gunned down Mauricio Dubon, the perfect reactions to a stadium full of boos, the flexes sent in Aaron Judge's direction -- Mrs. Rodón chose Soto's Saturday night blast, then re-upped her wishes after the slugger won his duel with Josh Hader.
For anyone who might question how those directly connected with the team feel about keeping Soto in place for the rest of his career, here you go.
Yankees must pay Juan Soto what he's worth, per Ashley Rodón
2024 is poised to be a season marked by a different energy than 2023's slump-dominated disaster, and each key Yankees addition seems to be playing their own unique part so far through the opening series. Marcus Stroman, Alex Verdugo, and even Jon Berti have all brought flair -- sometimes understated, sometimes extremely overstated. Soto? He's the ringleader, and in the wake of his arrival (as well as hitting coach James Rowson's), the Yankees lineup has shown a propensity for patiently waiting out opposing pitchers, sending them on their merry way an inning or two early, and then striking against the bullpen. Middle reliever? $100 million closer? It does not matter. That's four wins in four games, all of which featured late-inning ties or deficits.
Pay. The. Man. Do what Ashley says.
Oh, and by the way, she purports to tweet every five days when Carlos is pitching. This season -- and this Soto experience -- just might be interesting enough to coerce her to log on just a little bit more often.