The New York Yankees' year came to a close on Wednesday night with a loss in World Series Game 5 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Whereas the Dodgers moved on to celebrating and planning their championship parade, the Yankees had to shift their focus to the future. That means, among other things, accepting the possibility that star outfielder Juan Soto will leave the team this winter through free agency.
Soto, who turned 26 last week, will be the top free agent available when the market opens on Monday. Only one player in Major League Baseball history has amassed as many Wins Above Replacement as Soto at this point and reached free agency in their mid-20s: former Yankees infielder Alex Rodriguez. Coincidentally, both Soto and Rodriguez are/were represented by super agent Scott Boras.
Predictably, Soto's looming free agency was a topic of discussion after Game 5 Wednesday.
"You never know. At the end of the day, we'll see where we're at," Soto said when asked about the chance of Game 5 being his final contest in pinstripes. "Definitely a tough game to be my last one. But really happy with what we accomplished as a team and how far we got."
As for his rumored preference for remaining in New York -- a predilection that, if true, would suggest he'll sign with the Yankees or Mets -- Soto played coy.
"I'm really happy with the city, with the team, how these guys do," Soto said. "At the end of the day, we're gonna look at every situation, every offer that we'll get and take the decision from there."
Every team, he said, has the "same opportunity."
Soto's bidding is expected to exceed $500 million and perhaps get well into the $600 million range.