The New York Yankees are coming off a heartbreaking World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team fell apart in Game 5, blowing a five-run lead. That led to a gentlemen’s sweep by the Dodgers, and Los Angeles won its eighth Fall Classic. Now that the MLB’s offseason is in full swing, the hot stove has started to heat up. The top free agent on the market? None other than Yankees outfielder Juan Soto, a generational talent who should be just entering his prime. If resigning Soto comes down to money, one New York executive thinks that the outfielder will return to the Bronx according to a report that broke Sunday from MLB insider Hector Gomez.

“A Yankees executive on Juan Soto: ‘If it’s about money, you can be sure we won’t lose him in the free agency,’” stated Gomez on the social media platform.

In many years’ past, this take would have held true. The Yankees have long been one of, if not the top, spenders in the MLB. However, the Dodgers and New York Mets have also risen up those ranks, as more and more money is infused into the sport by owners with deeper pockets. The Mets, in particular, are owned by billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen. Will Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner be willing to outspend Cohen? There’s a very good chance he will have to do just that in order to bring Soto back to the Bronx for the foreseeable future.

Will Juan Soto resign with Yankees?

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Soto is coming off a year that would have likely won him an MVP award in some seasons. If not for the otherworldly play from teammate and Yankees captain Aaron Judge, as well as Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.’s ascendancy into superstardom, we’d likely would have seen Soto capture an MVP award for the first time in his career. Even though that likely won’t happen, it doesn’t mean Soto is worth any less than what him and his representatives, led by super-agent Scott Boras, perceive him to be worth.

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The 26-year-old’s first season in the Bronx couldn’t have gone much better, as he hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs. His defense was vastly improved during his inaugural year in pinstripes as well, and he accumulated a WAR of 7.9. That mark was a career high, besting marks of 7.0 (2021 with the Washington Nationals) and 5.6 (2023 with the San Diego Padres).

It’s likely that the majority of free agents are waiting to see where Soto goes. Once he signs, a domino effect will likely take place. Other top players on the market include top level starting pitchers in Corbin Burnes, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell, as well as hitters Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso. Although Soto will likely not break Shohei Ohtani’s contract record from last offseason, he will almost certainly have an AAV over Judge’s current mark. Will that be enough for Soto to return to Yankee Stadium? Yankees fans certainly hope so.