DALLAS — Brian Cashman didn’t know what Scott Boras had to say when the agent called the Yankees general manager on Sunday night.
Cashman said he had already heard that “things were blowing the Mets’ way,” but he didn’t know Soto’s decision until he answered the phone. At that point — before any reports surfaced — Boras told Cashman that Soto had picked the Mets, who agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the 26-year-old slugger, the largest contract ever in professional sports. The pact can reach $805 million if Soto opts out after the fifth season and the Mets void that decision by increasing the superstar’s average annual value from $51 million to $55 million.
Cashman then called Hal Steinbrenner and Randy Levine to tell them that the Yankees’ offer for Soto, $760 million over 16 years, fell short.
“Certainly disappointed the process took us where it went, but I’ve been doing this a long time,” Cashman said Monday at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. “At times, things go your way. Other times they don’t.”
With the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers also in the Soto sweepstakes, Cashman said that Boras asked for teams’ best final offers on Sunday. Around 9:30 a.m., the Yankees improved on their previous proposal, which was 15 years and $712.5 million, according to The Athletic. However, Cashman said there was no back and forth after that. With Mets owner Steven Cohen submitting the highest bid, Soto picked Queens after helping the Yankees reach the World Series in 2024.
“It was final, official. That’s what they wanted,” Cashman said. “’Where are you at? Just give it to us and we’ll make a decision.’ They made it.”
The GM said the Yankees tried to discuss and extension with Soto during the season, but he wanted to test free agency. While the end result left a sour taste in the Yankees’ mouths, the GM reiterated that he always knew Soto could leave after one season. With that possibility on the table, Cashman said that he did not regret trading five players — Michael King, Kyle Higashioka, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito and Randy Vásquez — to the Padres for Soto last December. Nor did he regret how the Yankees went about trying to retain the right fielder.
“We entered the process in free agency and that took us to heights that I never would have expected,” Cashman said. “Hal Steinbrenner really stepped up to find a way to retain Juan Soto, and so I’m certainly proud of his efforts.”
Asked if Steinbrenner went beyond Cashman’s financial recommendations, the GM simply said, “I would just say Hal went above and beyond to try to find a way to keep Juan Soto in pinstripes.”
Cashman added that “it’s hard to believe” such a lump sum wasn’t enough to retain Soto, but he credited the player for putting himself in prime position for multiple seismic offers.
“He’s a great player with great performance and obviously on a yearly basis bet on himself,” Cashman said, referring to Soto’s decision to reject an extension with the Nationals in 2022. “The bets paid off and it paid off with high-end multiple offers. How many? That will be revealed over time. We were basically right near [the Mets], but we didn’t know where they were and we didn’t know how close it was. You get some hints that you’re short and we kept trying to close the gap, but we didn’t know who we were closing against.”
While Cashman heard about Soto’s decision straight from Boras, Aaron Boone found out from a notification on his phone as his flight to Dallas touched down on Sunday night. Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott happened to be on Boone’s flight. The two looked at each other and went “whoa,” a nod to Soto’s astronomical earnings.
Like others in the Yankees organization, Boone felt immediate disappointment. The manager had not spoken to Soto since a Yankees contingent met with the free agent in Southern California on Nov. 18, but Boone lamented the loss of a generational hitter and a player who fit into the Bombers’ clubhouse.
“It sucks in the moment,” Boone said, but his brain quickly went to how the Yankees can pivot. With questions in the outfield and infield and a desire to improve the pitching staff, the team now has a lot of earmarked money to play with as it tries to fill numerous holes.
“It stings when you’re with a guy for a year and get to know him and it doesn’t end how you want,” Boone said. “But then again, that’s sports. It doesn’t always go your way. Now it’s on all of us to figure out a way forward, which I know we will.
“The one thing I know is Hal and ownership is going to be committed to putting us in a position to chase after a championship. That never stops, regardless of who we sign, who we miss out on.”
Cashman made a similar vow, though getting back to the Fall Classic and compensating for Soto’s offensive production won’t be easy with the All-Star joining the Mets.
“Listen, the Mets got a great player,” Cashman said. “And so congratulations to them. Our work continues as we focus on our team and how to reconfigure. Our efforts on a year in, year out basis don’t change. We’re always trying to be the best team we can possibly be so we can get into the playoffs and take a shot at the World Series. And so we’ll just obviously get back at it and see where that takes us.”
