Juan Soto's barber scares Yankees fans with Mets free agency take before easing fears

According to Juan Soto's trusted NYC barber, José "Jordan" Lopez, the slugger hasn't exactly been forthcoming with his thoughts on free agency. In fact, Lopez is the one who brings it up, while Soto bristles, his public silence apparently carrying into his private life.

But, when asked about Soto's preferences in an interview with the NYY Underground team, Lopez terrified the entire Bronx before giving them reason to believe with a few clarifying statements.

In response to the initial question about Soto's next contract, Lopez said that if the Yankees won the World Series, he'd come back. If not? Mets. No pressure. Just gotta take a spiraling team to the promised land, and then you can keep Soto.

If your jaw was on the floor, you weren't alone. The assumption has been, as the year has dragged on, that the Yankees have a distinct advantage, both as presently constructed and given historical context. Pending the Mets blowing the doors off with a market-resetting offer anyone would be silly to refuse, it seems like the odds are tilting the Bombers' way.

Luckily, as the conversation continued, Lopez reiterated that same point, guessing that if the Yankees and Mets were within ~$50 million of one another, Soto would stay in the Bronx. No offense, but getting Hal Steinbrenner to stay under $50 million below the Mets' offer seems easier than winning this fall's World Series, no matter how open the playing field currently is.

Juan Soto's barber claims Yankees could re-sign him if offer is within $50 million of Mets

The job the Yankees did of building around Soto and Aaron Judge this offseason is nothing short of woefully incomplete, and they'll now barrel towards October with a roster full of holes and the perception that, whenever the going gets tough, the wheels will fall off. As always, they defeated the Astros in May, but does anyone think that'll continue under the bright lights?

This team needs Soto in perpetuity, as well as much more to be considered a legitimate contender in 2025 and beyond. If they can't pony up the cash to keep Soto where he clearly loves to be, in lockstep with Judge, they'll deserve everything that befalls them. No reason to make it a close shave, either.