The Mets & Yankees Are In An All-out Soto Dogfight!

Here we go again. Mets Owner Steve Cohen and Yankees Owner Hal Steinbrenner each shared that they will individually fly out to California to swoon Juan Soto’s agent Scott Boras within the next two weeks. Yada, yada, yada. Listen, I am glad that the Yankees are trying to go for it, but at the same time, they need to clean up the defense and take a good look at the way they manage the team. So sure, the Mets-Yankees are in all out Soto dogfight and may the best team win.

“The two New York squads are widely seen as the favorites to sign Soto, who at 26 is regarded as one of the youngest great players to hit free agency in baseball history,” reported Sports Illustrated. “With the Yankees this season, Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs. His 128 runs scored led the American League, and his three-run home run in the 10th inning of Game 5 effectively won the ALCS for the Yankees,” via the same report. 

All good. Sure. And the Yankees will pony up as much as possible to get the kid to sign but as I stated above, that’s only a quarter of the battle. Sign Soto, but also address the deeper issues plaguing the Yankees. Which, I might add, they have not, because Aaron Boone will sadly be back at the helm. 

According to Fox News, “Bringing Boone back could help bring Soto and other free agents to the Bronx.” This because Boone babies his “kids,” giving them time off, and acting like an absolute buffoon to protect them from the big bad umpires.

“He’s always had our back. He’s always been there for us, always put us in the best positions day in and day out. He’s a guy that every single person in this room will run through a wall for. The culture we have here – it’s something special, and it starts with him at the top,” Judge said at the end of the season via The Athletic. I just don’t get it. How about make the team play outside of their comfort zone; how about you hold them accountable for their defense; how about you hold them accountable for scoring runs? How about you hold them accountable for doing their jobs? How about that?

According to Sporting News, “Among the bigger criticisms of Boone’s managerial style is that he can be too player-friendly. While it’s important for a manager to build strong relationships with his players, some feel it can lead to a lack of accountability at times. The Yankees were expected to exercise Boone’s option after reaching the World Series. It would have been a shock if they didn’t. Going into his eighth season as manager, it’s unlikely Boone is going to change his style.”

So go ahead, pay for the best player in the league. But unless you have leadership, you will be the same old team that other teams know how to get to through via their Achilles Heel. And perhaps that is actually their manager who just wants to be his players’ friend.

–Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof