CLEVELAND – As Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner took center stage after his club beat the Guardians in the ALCS on Saturday night, a traveling segment of the Bronx faithful roared from the stands behind Progressive Field’s first base dugout.
“Re-sign Soto,” they bellowed over and over. Surely that wasn’t a coincidence with Steinbrenner in sight.
Fans have been cheering those words all season at Yankee Stadium, but they sounded especially demanding on Saturday after Soto clobbered a go-ahead, three-run homer in the 10th inning of Game 5. The impending free agent’s clutch blast punched the Yankees’ ticket to their first Fall Classic since 2009, as they beat the Guardians, 5-2.
“We’re gonna win,” Soto thought as he pumped his chest and circled the bases. “We’re going to the World Series.”
Time after time, fans who made it to Cleveland shouted for Soto as the Yankees celebrated on the field. Soto certainly noticed, often gesturing to them and taking in the sights and sounds.
“Thank you,” said Soto, who was acquired from the Padres over the offseason. “Thank you to everybody who was involved in this trade. I’m really happy with that. I’m really happy to be here. They traded me to one of the best teams I’ve ever been on in my life. So I’m really happy to be here and be part of this celebration.”
Soto, who could fetch a $600 million deal this winter, was not the only Yankee who heard the chants calling for his retention.
“I think we should re-sign Soto!” Jazz Chisholm Jr. emphatically said when asked about the chants as the Yankees popped champagne in their clubhouse. “$700 million! That’s my number. Final offer. I need a ‘re-sign Soto’ chant in this motherf–ker.”
Giancarlo Stanton, named ALCS MVP after hitting a game-tying homer earlier in the night, appreciated what fans said as well.
“Let’s go,” he said. “We need it. You see what he did and what he’s capable of.”
A Scott Boras client, Soto is expected to test free agency after the World Series.
However, Soto recently said that wearing pinstripes “just feels different.” In addition to genuinely enjoying his interactions with Yankees fans, he’s also endeared himself to the team’s clubhouse. Hitting in front of Aaron Judge has certainly given him a boost, too, as he enjoyed one of the best regular seasons of his career.
Another potentially encouraging sign: The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty recently reported that Soto met with Steinbrenner back in July. Soto spoke highly of the owner afterward, noting that he cares about players.
Now the hope is that the two come to an agreement this winter and that Soto spends the rest of his career in pinstripes.
Fans have made it clear that’s what they want.
Teammates have too.
“We need him to stay. He’s gonna stay,” Stanton said, though he clarified that he’s not actually sure about that. “We got to bring it home, and then we’ll bring him home.”
