The free agency market is always buzzing with wild rumors surrounding Juan Soto! The 26-year-old, after having a stellar year with the New York Yankees, is all everyone can talk about. From the Toronto Blue Jays to the Boston Red Sox and the front runners, the New York Mets and the New York Yankees—everyone wants Soto. So, for Hal Steinbrenner, it is proving to be quite a challenge. The owner, who isn’t always open about a free agent, mentioned recently that he had ‘ears’ and knew what the fans wanted.

Steinbrenner went to meet with Juan Soto in California for the meeting, which shows how important Soto is to the Yankees. And why not? The Yankees got to the WS after 2009, with Soto on the team, so he is crucial. Jeff Passan mentioned that for Steinbrenner, it’s also his legacy that’s at stake with this entire deal. Jeff Passan explicitly mentioned George Steinbrenner in a recent podcast to highlight that the bar is set high. Hal’s father wasn’t just a team owner; he was a larger-than-life personality.

Plus, everyone in the baseball world knows that George was someone who got the player he wanted in pinstripes—he was relentless. Hal is more calculated, and we have seen the team lose out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto last season to the LA Dodgers because of some missing numbers in the paycheck. Jeff Passan said that “Hal approached the job in a much different fashion,” highlighting that Hal is not as aggressive as his father.

Jeff Passan mentioned in the Casa De Club podcast that right now, “the test to see just how serious [Hal] is about being the New York freaking Yankees.” Because everyone is after Soto, and if the Yankees can clinch the Dominican, it’s a show of might and power. Plus, not to mention the Yankees losing to the New York Mets, and Steve Cohen will be a colossal blow. “If they want to be known as the juggernaut that they are, then they have to put out the biggest offer for Juan Soto,” says Passan.

According to the insider, the NY Yankees, despite this year’s loss and with the Dodgers and Mets in the field, are one of the biggest and largest revenue franchises in Major League Baseball. So now, Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees need to act like it.

It’s going to come down to money for Juan Soto

When any team approaches a player, they have an agenda—and some sell the franchise history to players. Just like the Boston Red Sox did to Juan Soto in California. They didn’t talk about money; instead, they talked about the Dominican players who played for the Red Sox. They wanted to sway Juan Soto that way, but some, like Passan, believe that sentiment can only go so far. Passan says, “I think money is going to ultimately be the separator.” For Passan, the New York Yankees don’t need to mention Soto, and joining them means he gets to play with Aaron Judge or that he can be in Monument Park.

Given every team has something interesting to offer, instead, they should focus on the expected dollar amount. Juan Soto is no stranger to playing the long game; he turned down a $440 million offer when he was just 23 from the Washington Nationals. Passan pointed out how Soto did that to reach here, to cash in even bigger. Summing it up perfectly, he added, “You think he’s not going to try to take that orange and squeeze every little last droplet of juice out of it?”

So, if Hal and the Yankees want to be the juggernaut, they need to loosen their wallets a little more. News of them offering $550 million to Soto seems too low when the rest seem to be offering $600 and more. Do you think they can get Juan Soto back in pinstripes? Share below.