All the noise that Shohei Ohtani’s off-season made last time—there’s almost a Déjà vu scenario with Juan Soto’s case. The same craze is panning out as the 26-year-old created magic for the New York Yankees by breaking their long World Series drought and taking them to the very end. And then, he entered the free agency—so, of course, everyone wants the Dominican on their team now.

This isn’t the best news for Hal Steinbrenner, though. The competition is fierce, and the push mostly is coming from their neighbor, the New York Mets. The latter is not ready to lose the battle for Juan Soto with Steve Cohen, the owner, ready with a pocket full of cash. If sources are to be believed, he has offered to pay $50 million more than anything any team offers—now that’s flexing! And according to MLB analyst Deesha Thosar, Steinbrenner is feeling that pressure.

Steinbrenner is feeling the heat at the moment

It seems like the Yankees cannot catch a break! Right after battling it out with the Dodgers, they have yet another battle in hand. Of course, it isn’t ideal, but they need to get rolling, given Juan Soto means much to the Yankees—look how far they got post-season because of him. Had they relied solely on Aaron Judge, it wouldn’t have been possible. Deesha Thosar feels that the Yankees are more under pressure to get Soto than the rest. She also mentioned how Hal Steinbrenner has been pretty vocal about wanting Soto.

“I think Hal [Steinbrenner] is feeling the pressure, and I think the Yankees need it more,” said Deesha Thosar at Foul Territory. Hal mentioned recently that he is all ears and knows what the fans want. These comments highlight one thing—Steinbrenner is out of character. The last time he was so open with the media and for a player was when Aaron Judge’s free agency rolled. This says how much Juan Soto means to Hal Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees. But as far as the owner meeting goes, Steinbrenner gave mixed signals.

Hal Steinbrenner gives mixed signals about Juan Soto

The New York Yankees’ owner isn’t handing down assurance when it comes to Juan Soto. When he was recently asked about the team’s chances of re-signing the star, he surprisingly said, “I have no idea.” Well, this isn’t the answer at this stage of the off-season and not what Yankees fans want to hear. However, Steinbrenner assured that the New York Yankees have all the necessary resources to compete. “We’ve got the ability to sign any player we want,” Hal noted. But at the same time, he went on to talk about the looming luxury tax and payroll pressures, giving out mixed emotions.

Steve Cohen and the New York Mets are waiting with bated breath to throw their financial muscle into the mix—being the richest owner, money isn’t an issue for him. Steinbrenner knows this, as he mentioned, “I’ve got ears. I know what’s expected of me,” as insider Thosar had highlighted. But then, Steinbrenner has always been reserved about spending – so it remains yet to be seen what happens in the end.

Will the New York Yankees break the bank and get Juan Soto, or will he end up with their crosstown rivals? What do you think? Let us know.