Juan Soto: Door 'open' for in-season negotiations with Yanks

Juan Soto is open to the idea of getting a long-term contract done with the New York Yankees during the season.

Soto spoke about the possibility Thursday after team owner Hal Steinbrenner indicated the Yankees would consider working on a deal during the season in order to secure the generational player long-term.

Steinbrenner was asked about Soto's future with the club on a YES Network podcast. The Yankees currently have Soto on the final year of his current contract after a blockbuster trade to acquire him in December.

Steinbrenner told the podcast there wasn't "any doubt" that New York would like to make Soto a Yankee for life.

"His agent, Scott (Boras), doesn't tend to normally do deals in the middle of a season. Neither do I. I think it can be a distraction," the owner said. "But as I said in spring training when I met with (the media), this is a unique situation and a very unique player. So, I wouldn't be shocked if there was a conversation or two had possibly during the course of the season.

"I think it's worth doing at some point. I wanted to give Juan time to really settle in, have a conversation with him at some point and make sure that obviously the most important thing is, is this a place he can see himself for a long time?"

Yankees fans hope Soto's answer to that question is "yes." The 25-year-old outfielder has been mum on his future beyond this season, but he was asked about Steinbrenner's comments after the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 5-0 on Thursday in Minneapolis.

Soto replied that his "door has always been open" on the extension front.

"They know the phone number and everything," Soto said. "They know where to call. For me right here, I'm focusing on playing baseball. My thing is try to help the team win."

Soto is batting .302 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs and 30 walks through 45 games this year. The three-time All-Star known for his plate discipline led the major leagues in walks in each of the past three seasons.

Soto has racked up 169 home runs and 517 RBIs over his 824-game career with the Washington Nationals (2018-22), the San Diego Padres (2022-23) and the Yankees. The Nationals dealt him to the Padres not long after he declined a 15-year, $440 million offer from them, believing he could make even more on the open market.

--Field Level Media