Come on now, folks! Come on! The New York Yankees have been off to arguably the best start in MLB, but everyone's still zoned in on Juan Soto's future. Some of that discussion is inevitable, but other parts of it we can do without.
For example, the talk of Soto taking the money from Steve Cohen and bolting to Queens. Not only is that chatter nauseating and borderline delusional, but it's May. Soto isn't signing another contract until December. Please, stop.
Yankees fans were recently hit with another iteration of that nonsense when former MLB executive Davis Samson decided to weigh in on Soto, his agent Scott Boras, and what might be on the way when the offseason arrives (again, a very long time from now).
Samson went as far to say, essentially, that Soto will not be a Yankee after the 2024 season, which New Yorkers are sick of hearing after just a few months. While Samson made a good point that Boras clients usually chase the most cash in free agency without regard for their legacies, he neglected to acknowledge that Jose Altuve just avoided doing that twice with the Houston Astros.
Soto is a competitor through and through. Have you listened to a single one of his interviews? Samson also suggesting the Yankees won't be willing to make an uncomfortable expenditure to secure a top-three talent in the league is preposterous. That is exactly what they do when push comes to shove.
Former MLB exec's insane Yankees-Juan Soto take shows how lost everybody is
This conversation continues to devolve further and further into insanity. We're using the words like "butthurt" and want the discourse to be serious?
Samson is also ignoring that Soto can (and will) make his choice. This entire rant sounds as if Boras holds the keys to wherever Soto goes next. Boras is the negotiator. He's not the decision maker. His job is to increase the price point on Soto's market, which, in turn, will get Soto the most amount of money wherever he chooses to sign. Any increase in price on the open market will likely drive up what the Yankees will have to probably pay -- but it doesn't mean New York will be on the hook for a record-breaking contract.
Much like the Judge situation, Soto's should play out similarly. He can either take the most money to spend the rest of his career with an irrelevant and floundering franchise, or he can cement his Hall of Fame status by playing for a perennial contender for a bit less (but still enough to take care of his family's future generations.
Samson is also right when he suggests the Yankees probably won't offer the most money. But that's unlikely to be what holds them back from Soto. New York can offer a competitively massive contract and provide other money-making opportunities in the form of endorsements and international fame. Boras might not care about that, but it's not up to him.
If Soto likes the price, the environment, the likely future glory, and the profitable ventures outside of the sport, he'll know exactly where to go. And Boras won't have control over that.