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Just one more day until the New York Yankees meet with free agent superstar Juan Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, in Newport Beach, California. This meeting is sure to be highly anticipated.

There is a lot of pressure on the Yankees’ front office to hold on to Soto because other suitors, such as the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the New York Mets, are supposedly already making strong first presentations to him. Some of the people getting ready to make their pitches are Aaron Boone, general manager Brian Cashman, and owner Hal Steinbrenner.
“The Yankees will remind Soto he went straight to the World Series in his first season in pinstripes,” Klapisch wrote in an essay published Sunday… “And even though it was a devastating loss to the Dodgers, Soto and Judge were the most terrifying regular-season duo in MLB.”

Batting in consecutive positions at second and third base, Soto and Judge both recorded record-breaking performances. During the regular season, Soto hit.288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs, while Judge put up a.322/.458/.701 line, which was good enough to lead the league in home runs and RBIs.

Neither of them could get past the AL Divisional Series without being nominated a finalist for the AL MVP Award, joining Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals. Judge had a rough go of it in October, slashing.184/.304/.408, while Soto maintained his stellar performance in the postseason, hitting.327/.469/.633.

Judge, who signed a nine-year, $360 million deal at age 30 only two years ago, is anticipated to be surpassed by Soto, 26 years old. A player of Soto’s level seldom hits free agency at such a young age, but many are anticipating record-length contracts with guarantees north of $600 million based on his impressive résumé.

Among players with at least 3,000 plate appearances through their age-25 seasons, Soto ranks eighth in OPS+. Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Mike Trout, Jimmie Foxx, Albert Pujols, Tris Speaker, and Rogers Hornsby are ahead of him. The four-time All-Star outfielder made his debut with the Washington Nationals at age 19, won a World Series at age 21, and has a stellar resume overall.

In addition to having more walks in his career than greats like Ichiro Suzuki and Ernie Banks, Soto has drawn at least 129 in four straight seasons, which is second only to Barry Bonds’ record.

Most sources indicate that the process might conclude by the Winter Meetings, although it takes time to negotiate such unprecedented long-term contracts—especially with Boras involved.

In light of Boras’s problems with high-profile clients Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery last winter, Klapisch predicted that the tour would be limited to only one round, in contrast to past off-seasons when the agent would drag out negotiations in an effort to squeeze the market for every last dollar. “Soto and Boras are expected to select a winner by the first or second week of December, according to observers.”

Boras must also take into consideration the needs of other prominent clients, including as Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, and Snell, who choose not to work with San Francisco. Everyone seems to be waiting for Soto to announce the market before starting talks.

There is little time for Steinbrenner and his crew to strategize given that rushed schedule. According to Klapisch, the owner of the Yankees is “all in” on Soto and will have to negotiate toughly right away.

Other suitors did not have the same edge that the Yankees had in pitching Soto the idea of playing for the New York Yankees—a head start of one year. The question now is: how much is Steinbrenner prepared to spend, given that Mets owner Steve Cohen is hell-bent on not being outbid? Will Soto be convinced to accept a small salary reduction if their final offer isn’t good enough?