Timeline for Juan Soto Yankees decision seems to be zooming towards earlier deadline

Hope your Thanksgiving turkey's lifeless and dry, because you might be spitting it out anyway when you find out how much Juan Soto's signing for and where he's going.

The New York Yankees' pursuit of the 26-year-old generational talent could easily dictate the franchise's trajectory for the rest of Aaron Judge's career (not an exaggeration!). Player development has been a strength of the Yankees over the past half-decade, but they've still been unable to produce a base layer of productive stars, instead filling in the margins and maximizing relievers. If they keep Soto, they'll have a pair of centerpieces to sell to the next generation, lessening the burden on Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones. If they lose him, they'll have to move on to an increasingly complex Plan B.

Luckily, if you like drama, you might be satisfied by a Soto news drop sooner rather than later. But will that drop be good news for Yankee fans? Check back later. Not enough information.

With the Red Sox, Mets and Blue Jays also in hot pursuit (at least), Boston insider Sean McAdam expects the Soto race to reach its conclusion by the Winter Meetings, if not sooner. Progress could theoretically be made over Thanksgiving weekend, and McAdam believes a decision could be looming before anyone touches down in Dallas on Dec. 8.

Yankees' Juan Soto chase could end before Winter Meetings, per latest timeline

According to Yankees insider Brendan Kuty, the round of offers that was reportedly completed already was the "preliminary" round.

The next step involves offers of increasing urgency and competitiveness, and based on the information coming out of Boston, that bidding process could evolve quickly.

So much of Soto's desires remain unknown. Would he prefer to stay a Yankee, if all offers match? It would seem logical, based on a World Series trip in Year 1 and the way he and Aaron Judge collaborated and dominated, but no one knows. Does Hal Steinbrenner have a "line in the sand"? It seems that way, but no one knows if Steve Cohen does, too. Everything is based on assumptions about net worth and hearsay.

The bottom line is, it'll be difficult to move on with the offseason in either direction until Soto makes his decision. Luckily, unlike the Scott Boras Class of 2023, this should be settled before too long.