THE JUAN SOTO EXPERIMENT
When the Yankees acquired Juan Soto last December in the off-season’s most dramatic trade, they were under no illusions that Soto would sign a new contract with them during the 2024 season. That just doesn’t happen with pending Scott Boras free agents. They had hopes, which are even stronger now, that he would enjoy playing co-star to Aaron Judge and would buy into the Mystique and Aura that accompanies the pinstripes and eventually sign long-term. That’s a story for another day, as the primary reason the Yankees were willing to deal 5 players to San Diego for Soto is because they are tired of watching other teams go to the World Series.
Soto came into this season with a reputation for being one of the best young players in MLB history, and yet somehow, he has exceeded expectations. He formed an amazing 1-2 punch with Aaron Judge that was compared to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. He was not thrown off at all by the attention of the New York media or the passion of the Yankees fans. IF he eventually shakes hands with Hal Steinbrenner and commits to a career in Pinstripes, the trade will go down as one of the best in Yankees history even if Michael King or Drew Thorpe win future Cy Youngs.
However, if the Yankees don’t at least advance to the World Series by beating the best of the AL Central over the next couple of weeks, the Juan Soto Experiment will have failed.
