During a Monday meeting with New York Yankees higher-ups, Juan Soto made one thing very clear.
Soto, the top free agent on the market, told Yankees chairman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, team president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone and senior adviser Omar Minaya how he believes the club could improve, according to Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media.
The 26-year-old Soto is expected to command a lucrative deal that spans over the course of the next decade. As such, he sought confirmation from Steinbrenner that the Yankees would be committed to improvement year after year. Steinbrenner reportedly told Soto the club plans to upgrade the roster this offseason on the heels of an American League pennant victory and World Series berth.
According to Klapisch, Yankees brass made no contractual offers to Soto, but left the meeting encouraged that such discussions could take place over the course of the next few weeks.
Soto has met with the crosstown rival New York Mets, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. He is expected to meet with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers this week, and the Philadelphia Phillies also have designs on meeting with the free-agent slugger.
Soto enjoyed a career year in the Bronx, posting a .288/.419/.569 slash line with 41 home runs, 109 RBI, 128 runs scored and 129 walks in 157 games played. Represented by hard-driving agent Scott Boras, Soto is expected to land a deal in the ballpark of $600 million, and perhaps more.
While the Yankees are considered the favorites to sign Soto, the Mets, led by billionaire owner Steve Cohen, are major players to lure the Dominican slugger away.
It is believed that Soto will agree to a deal during the Winter Meetings, which will take place from December 8-11 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Tx.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Juan Soto Told Yankees During Free Agency Meeting.