MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: Two other teams – and AL East rivals – have officially entered the Juan Soto sweepstakes alongside the Yankees and Mets (and likely the Dodgers). Both the Red Sox and Blue Jays held meetings with Soto and agent Scott Boras in California. It’s been ages since Boston’s owners shelled out for a free agent, so be skeptical. The Jays made a significant offer for Shohei Ohtani last offseason, so it’s not out of reach for them, but they face an uphill battle convincing Soto to head north to a team that’s coming to finish in last place.
Oh, and the Giants don’t have a meeting with Soto so…hooray for that, I guess. I would say “condolences to the Giants fans,” but I wouldn’t really mean it.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips ($): If you want to see NPB phenom Roki Sasaki in Yankees pinstripes next year, you’re far from alone. Manager Aaron Boone came out immediately and said the 23-year-old was exactly the kind of “gifted” talent that would be great in the Bronx. Is this perhaps obvious? Yes, but it’s nice to see the one who would theoretically be his manager publicly bragging about him. My money is still on the Padres or Dodgers, but as Peter pointed out on Monday, the Yankees should at least take a chance!
MLB.com | Manny Randhawa and Brian Murphy: As also detailed here yesterday, the Silver Slugger winners were announced for 2024. Not surprisingly, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge were the two Yankees to win American League honors, joined in the outfield by Anthony Santander of Baltimore. Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton were named runner-up and DH finalists, but the winners were Jose Altuve and Brent Rooker. The Yankees, as a team, won the second annual Team Silver Slugger – mostly a byproduct of employing Soto and Judge, of course.
MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: We end with a non-Yankees story, but a relevant one since the Yankees usually play a bit in St. Pete each season. Hurricane Milton completely destroyed Tropicana Field, and the Rays don’t yet know where they will play their home games in 2025. As McDonald notes, it’s a tricky situation, as a new stadium is already on the construction schedule for 2028, but Tampa Bay does. need somewhere play in the intermediate campaigns.
A damage assessment report provided some news in this regard. If anyone wants to foot the bill, whether it’s the Rays or the city of St. Petersburg, the cost of repairs is estimated at $55.7 million. Will this happen? Stay tuned.
