NEW YORK — Just days after New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone had his 2025 club option exercised, he is scheduled to fly to California next week with owner Hal Steinbrenner to aid the team’s pursuit of superstar free-agent outfielder Juan Soto.
Two years ago, Boone played an active role in Aaron Judge’s free agency, frequently checking in with Judge throughout the process and reiterating his desire to continue managing him. The night before Judge re-signed with the Yankees, a false report emerged claiming he was heading to the San Francisco Giants, causing unease within the organization. Boone immediately called Judge and urged him not to make any final decisions without speaking with Steinbrenner. Following that conversation, Steinbrenner called Judge to finalize the deal, and the rest is history.
However, Soto’s free agency presents a different challenge. Unlike Judge, whom the Yankees had known for years after drafting and developing him, Soto only joined the team in 2024. Boone noted that while he built a good rapport with Soto during the season, he is fully aware that competition for the outfielder will be fierce.
“I want him in pinstripes moving forward, but there’s going to be a lot of competition for that, and who knows how it will play out?” Boone said on Monday. “All I can do is ensure we put our best foot forward and hope that Juan chooses to return. But whatever happens, I’m confident that the Steinbrenner family and our front office will do everything possible to field a championship-caliber team. They’ve been doing that long before I got here, and I know it will continue. Hopefully, that includes Juan, but we’ll see how it unfolds.”
While Boone was unsure who exactly would be accompanying him and Steinbrenner on the trip to meet Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, at Boras Corp.’s headquarters in Newport Beach, the group will likely mirror the one that traveled to California last year to meet with free-agent starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. General manager Brian Cashman and team president Randy Levine were part of that delegation, along with pitching coach Matt Blake. The Yankees may also consider bringing assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler, who has a strong relationship with Soto, having worked with him as the Washington Nationals’ assistant hitting coach. Soto has previously likened Roessler to a “grandfather.”
At season’s end, Soto didn’t indicate whether the Yankees held an advantage over other teams in his free-agent decision. He expressed openness to all 30 MLB clubs, and when Boras was asked whether Soto had shown a preference for the Yankees, the agent confirmed that his client hadn’t instructed him to operate that way.
“Juan knows the Yankees well, and he’s certainly impressed with them,” Boras said. “He went to the World Series with them, which is a tremendous accomplishment. But a player in his position would want to understand ownership’s plans and the team’s future direction. Given his respect for the Yankees, I know he’s going to want to be thorough with that process.”
Soto has spoken frequently about his enjoyment of playing for the Yankees and how beneficial it was to hit in front of Judge. However, the organization has not received any indication as to which way the star is leaning regarding his future.
Boone’s own future, meanwhile, remains uncertain. On Monday, he acknowledged that he had yet to engage in talks about a contract extension, though he suggested that such discussions are likely just a matter of timing. With the Yankees’ offseason plans still taking shape, it’s unlikely the team will allow Boone to manage as a “lame duck” in 2025, particularly since there has been no indication from the front office or ownership that they want anyone other than Boone at the helm.
For now, Boone’s primary focus is ensuring he has the opportunity to manage Soto in 2025.
“I’m just going to go in there and be myself, confident in the relationship I’ve built with Juan,” Boone said. “I’ll make sure he understands how much we value him, not just as a player, but as a person. I lived that with him this year, and that will be my pitch — how much we want him here. We’ll let the meeting unfold from there.”
(Top photo of Juan Soto and Aaron Boone: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
