Soto: ‘Nobody knows’ where future will take him

ARLINGTON, Texas — There will come a time when New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto will take his seat at All-Star media day and won’t face constant questions about his future. Monday wasn’t that time.

For the third straight year, Soto, wearing a different jersey on each occasion, attracted a hive of reporters more interested in his cloudy future than the Hall of Fame trajectory he has carved out.

Two years ago, in Los Angeles, Soto, representing the Washington Nationals, was smack in the middle of trade rumors. He was traded days later. Last summer, wearing a San Diego Padres uniform, the question was whether he would sign a contract extension. Instead, he was traded again in December. On Monday, he donned the sport’s most famous pinstripes at Globe Life Field with free agency looming mere months away.

“It’s a little uncomfortable wearing different jerseys and changing teams,” Soto acknowledged in Spanish. “I’m looking forward to wearing one for a long time.”

Soto’s short time in a Yankees jersey has thus far been a resounding success. He has become an instant fan favorite by slashing .295/.426/.558 with 23 home runs, a league-leading 79 walks and a swagger ideal for New York City. He has done it batting in front of fellow All-Star starter Aaron Judge, creating a historic duo that has fueled the Yankees to a 58-40 record.

“Soto’s been amazing,” Judge said. “He’s the best hitter I’ve ever seen.”

Soto’s production earned him his fourth straight All-Star appearance — and surprisingly his first as a starter — before his 26th birthday. Whether his fifth All-Star Game appearance will be as a Yankee will almost certainly be decided after a high-stakes offseason bidding war. Does he see himself as a Yankee beyond this season?

“Who wouldn’t want to be with a team that wins?” Soto said. “For me, while you’re on a winning team, it’s always good to be there and be a part of it.”

A player of Soto’s profile — an established superstar with October bona fide credentials entering his age-26 season — is unprecedented and could prompt offers in the half-billion-dollar range. The New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Nationals are among the clubs expected to compete with the Yankees for Soto’s services.

“That decision’s all based on him and his family and what they want to do and what feels right,” Judge said. “As a teammate, it’s just about being supportive for him and showing him what New York can offer. I think the fans have definitely shown him a lot of love and shown him what he means to the city. I wish him nothing but the best. He’s going to make the right decision for what’s best for him.”

For now, Soto’s focus will be on helping New York rebound after a dreadful month sullied a resounding start to the season. The Yankees owned the best record in the majors as late as June 19 but have lost 18 of 26 games to drop to second place in the AL East.

“Nobody said it would be easy,” Soto said. “At the beginning it looked like it was easy, but of course it’s not that easy.”

The worst loss of the bunch came before scattering for the All-Star break Sunday when, with a chance to sweep the Baltimore Orioles and reclaim first place on the road, the Yankees committed two defensive gaffes with two outs in the ninth inning and were walked off with closer Clay Holmes on the mound.

“We’ve felt like we’ve been tested in a sense, but at the same time we know the players we have, the team we are, what we need to do to play our best baseball when it matters the most,” said Holmes, the Yankees’ third All-Star. “I think it’s probably good for us to build some resilience and show us what we need to improve on and how we need to improve our game.”

Holmes, like Soto, is one several impending free agents on the Yankees. It was a club built with championship-or-bust expectations for 2024 that could look very different in 2025. How different could depend on Soto’s decision this winter.

“If I knew the future,” Soto said with a laugh, “I would play the lottery. Nobody knows the future. At the end of the day, I’m enjoying this moment, representing the New York Yankees. … I’m very happy to be part of [the game], but nobody knows what will happen next year.”