After visiting with Juan Soto in San Diego over the weekend, Scott Boras followed his prodigious client and the Yankees up the California coast.
With the Bombers in Anaheim on Tuesday, Boras watched as Soto demolished a pitch in the first inning of the Yankees’ 4-3 loss. Angels righty Griffin Canning tried to throw a full-count fastball by the slugger, but Soto turned on the up and in offering and pulled it 424 feet to right at 113.1 mph.
As Soto admired the ball’s trajectory, so did his agent from the dugout suite at Angel Stadium.
Never gets old pic.twitter.com/Wbff8vPi4B
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 29, 2024
While the Yankees didn’t get the result they wanted after a costly Anthony Rizzo error and a Taylor Ward double in the eighth inning, Soto’s mammoth blast — he also picked up an RBI single in the game — put an exclamation mark on the point Boras made before first pitch: that the 25-year-old, an impending free agent, is a “Centurion player.”
“When you represent players who I call ‘Centurions,’ where you can say that they will be among the top 100 players to ever play this game, when you represent them, you don’t worry about the cost of them for a franchise because they increase the franchise value of the team,” Boras told reporters, per The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. “The only cost is what it costs to build the monument.”
Boras’ Soto hype followed a few recent comments from Hal Steinbrenner.
A few weeks ago, the Yankees owner told the YES Network’s Jack Curry that he wants Soto to finish his career in pinstripes. Steinbrenner also said that the Yankees and Soto’s camp would likely discuss a long-term deal during the season. Soto said his door is always open, but Boras clients usually test the open market.
Then, last week, Steinbrenner reiterated his desire to sign Soto for the foreseeable future. However, the owner also said that the Yankees’ current $302 million payroll is “simply not sustainable for us financially.”
Steinbrenner noted that the Yankees have a lot of money coming off the books next winter, which could make retaining Soto and trimming payroll possible, even if the early-season MVP candidate commands a contract that makes him the highest-paid position player and exceeds $500 million.
On Tuesday, Boras said that he and Steinbrenner have had “a lot of conversations” about Soto, but he wouldn’t directly say if those talks were about re-signing the right fielder.
No matter the price, Boras argued that Soto would only improve the value of the Yankees, or any other franchise that locks him up.
“Centurion players add literally millions and millions of dollars to a franchise’s value,” Boras claimed. “Particularly at his age when you look at what we call in the industry surplus value and what it means for teams, the opportunity for an investment like this comes along in an owner’s career very rarely.
“I don’t think Centurions are what you would consider a cost for a team because it’s a franchise-appreciation addition,” Boras said. “Whatever your franchise is worth, a Centurion on a team would thereby make the team worth billions more.”
Steinbrenner would likely take exception to Boras’ math, just as some have questioned the validity of the owner’s payroll sustainability comments.
However, Steinbrenner has made it clear that he wants to keep Soto, who has embraced Yankees fans and immersed himself in the clubhouse thus far. Steinbrenner also isn’t one who typically explores extensions or in-season negotiations, but he’s willing to deviate for a player who everyone agrees is special.
