Getty Outfielder Juan Soto was very impressive in his Yankees debut. Ashley Rodón has seen enough and wants New York to pay the man.
After a disappointing 82-80 campaign in 2023, the New York Yankees entered 2024 with high expectations. Their season began with a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. New outfielder Juan Soto played a huge role in his first series with the Bombers.
While he hasn’t been in pinstripes for very long, Ashley Rodón (wife of Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón) has seen enough. She only needed three games to be convinced that Soto must stick around. During New York’s game on March 30, Rodón said, “PAY THE MAN” on X (formerly Twitter).
PAY THE MAN 😂🔥👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
She quoted the above post on March 31 to reiterate her point and said, “Like I said before…”
While it’s a small sample size, it’s hard to begin the year much better than Soto did in Houston. His outfield arm made an appearance to cut down a run on Opening Day to help preserve a New York win. Most of his damage then came at the plate.
He registered nine hits over 20 plate appearances. That led to a .529/.600/.765 triple slash. It was accompanied by one double, one home run, four RBI and two runs scored.
The New York Yankees Know a Juan Soto Extension Is Unlikely
Ideally, the Yankees would sign Soto to a lucrative long-term extension before the 2024 season is done. This way, a crucial piece of their offense would be locked up with fellow outfielder Aaron Judge for the remainder of this decade.
That seems quite unlikely, though. Soto is represented by MLB super-agent Scott Boras. The left-handed slugger is uniquely positioned to get an incredible payday this winter. He’ll only be 26 years old once he hits free agency in November and he’s already built up an impressive resume.
Although he hasn’t yet won an MVP Award, Soto has finished in the top 10 four times since 2018. He has won a Home Run Derby title, a batting title, four Silver Slugger Awards and the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals. Soto has also been selected to three All-Star Games.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman knew extending Soto after trading for him in December was unlikely. “Haven’t had any conversations regarding that,” Cashman said of a potential extension with Soto, via WFAN on December 7. “We understand he’s a free agent at the end of this term, but we understand it’s a possible short-term situation. But I know he’s going to make our team significantly better.”
What Could It Cost the New York Yankees to Re-Sign Juan Soto?
Two huge questions will follow Soto throughout 2024 and into his free agency. One involves which team will be the lucky organization to land him on a long-term deal. The other is how much money the 25-year-old will sign for.
Just months after Shohei Ohtani rocked the baseball world by signing a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Soto could have a similar effect on free agency. The dollar amount may not be that high, but he’s expected to be MLB’s next $500 million player, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
That’s surely a number Boras and Co. are shooting for after rejecting a 15-year, $440 million extension offer from the Nationals in 2022. Tim Britton of The Athletic projected his next contract at 14 years for $540 million.