Each passing day brings us deeper and deeper into Major League Baseball's offseason. The hot stove seems certain to pick up beginning this week, with a number of important deadlines (including the Rule 5 protection and contract tenders) forcing activity. Below, CBS Sports has collected all of Tuesday's news, notes, and moves.
Steinbrenner, Yankees 'gung-ho' about Soto
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and an organizational contingent that included general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone met with free-agent outfielder Juan Soto on Monday afternoon in an attempt to woo him back into the fold for the foreseeable future. Steinbrenner and company are reportedly "gung-ho" about Soto, according to the New York Post.
Soto, 26, is the top free agent available this winter thanks to his combination of youth and production. In fact, only one other player in MLB history has accumulated more Wins Above Replacement thru their age-25 season than Soto has while reaching free agency in their mid-20s. That individual? Alex Rodriguez, who established a new record for the richest contract in the league's history when he signed a 10-year pact worth $252 million with the Texas Rangers back during the 2000-01 offseason.
Where, precisely, the bidding for Soto will lead is up to everyone's imagination, but it's fair to assume that he's going to sign a massive contract between now and the start of spring training.
The Yankees are considered to be one of the favorites to sign Soto. They're also the fourth known team to have met with Soto this winter, joining the Mets, Red Sox, and Blue Jays. The Dodgers, the defending World Series champions, are expected to hold their own meeting with him this week.
