The New York Yankees had one major job this off-season, and that was to sign Juan Soto back. After all, the 26-year-old was one of the major reasons they even made it to the World Series this time around. But the journey to clinch him is proving tougher than anticipated, with around seven teams initially interested. And, let’s be real, given that Soto’s accepting anything north of $600 million means not everyone is in the race anymore. But the completion is far from over!

The Yankees’ toughest competition is from the Mets. Steve Cohen is bent on getting the Dominican star and is ready to shell out as much as needed. So, right now, it all boils down to whether Hal Steinbrenner is willing to open the wallet a little more. While fans might want Hal to get Soto in pinstripes quickly, news is coming in by NJ.com Randy Miller on WFAN 101.9 FM that the Yankees odds may be worse than we thought!

Yankees fourth place in the Juan Soto sweepstakes?

Danny Abriano reported that Miller thinks that the Yankees will finish fourth in the Juan Soto bid! Surprised? Well, according to the report, the top offer for Soto from the Yankees will hit around the $550 million mark. That’s a vast gap from what Soto is looking for, which stands at $600 million and above. If they don’t come close to matching that, they might as well bow out because the Mets are lurking right behind.

Steve Cohen for the New York Mets has a lot going on. He offers significant money to Juan Soto, but also much more. He offers stability, given that the team has people who have just come in and will be there for much of Soto’s tenure if he joins. Not to mention, Soto has loved New York City; that’s a plus. And Cohen, we hear, is pretty tight with Scott Boras!

Not just the Mets; we even have a wildcard entry—the Boston Red Sox. They are aggressive this time around and want Soto. So Yankees offering $550 might be too low for Juan Soto to accept.

Will history repeat itself for the New York Yankees?

The New York Yankees are back on familiar grounds—chasing a superstar. And this time around it’s Juan Soto. And Hal Steinbrenner is feeling the pressure of it. When he was asked recently about Soto and the free agency, he said, “I’ve got ears. I know what’s expected of me. It’s been a priority. I wouldn’t have gone out to the West Coast if it wasn’t.” Hal Steinbrenner’s answers of, “I don’t know” and “We’ll be in the mix,” didn’t boost fan confidence in them being able to get Soto back. For the Yankee fans, though, this battle almost feels like déjà vu!

Last year the New York Yoshinobu Yamamoto 10 years and $300 million. It sounded great till the Los Angeles Dodgers offered him a generous 12-year $325 million deal. And so Yamamoto left for LA, and we saw how greatly he performed there. This time the stakes are just as high, and the Yankees need to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself with Juan Soto. But it’s tricky—the Yankees, after all, have a habit of sticking to longer deals and lower annual payouts.

So it remains to see if this approach will work for Juan Soto. But time is running out, and they need to up the game quickly if they don’t want another off-season of what-ifs. What do you think will happen? Let us know!