Yankees GM Brian Cashman defends pursuit of Juan Soto after losing to Mets: 'Above and beyond our comfort'

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Juan Soto isn’t leaving New York, but he isn’t a Yankee either, as reports say the 26-year-old slugger is heading to the Mets on the biggest contract in professional sports history.

Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal that smashes Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason.

With no deferrals like Ohtani’s, Soto is set to make $51 million per year, and it could move to $55 million per season depending on what happens with his opt-out in five years.

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New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto celebrates his solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 2 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 26, 2024. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

But while all is right in Queens after Steve Cohen outbid the Yankees in historic fashion, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was asked about his and owner Hal Steinbrenner’s pursuit of Soto, which was a very competitive offer.

The Yankees reportedly offered Soto $760 million over 16 years with no deferments, just like the Mets. And Cashman said at the MLB Winter Meetings on Monday that it was “above and beyond our comfort level” to do so, per MLB.com.

WHAT YANKEES REPORTEDLY OFFERED JUAN SOTO BEFORE HE SIGNED WITH METS

“It’s not a deal we regret,” Cashman said, adding his understanding that Soto could’ve always been a one-and-done player after trading for him last offseason. “He impacted us in a heavy way. I’m just sorry we fell short in the World Series.”

“There’s a lot of different ways to figure this out,” Cashman said about adding talent not named Soto to reach the World Series again in 2025.

Now, the question is what the Yankees have in store for their “Plan B,” or life without Soto.

MLB.com reported the Yankees were “hosting virtual calls” with top free-agent starters Max Fried and Corbin Burnes. Starting pitching is always something World Series contenders look to upgrade, a prime example being the Dodgers already adding Cy Young winner Blake Snell.

Even before news of Soto’s choice, the Yankees were expected to be involved in infield upgrades, especially at first base, while another outfielder was also in the cards.

Juan Soto (Brad Penner-Imagn Images/File)

Among the options for both infield and outfielder are Teoscar Hernandez, Cody Bellinger, Anthony Santander, Alex Bregman and former Met Pete Alonso.

Cashman & Co. will need to move on quickly so they don’t miss out on the other top talent, but the franchise and its fan base never wanted to think about a world where Soto wasn’t a part of the 2025 roster and beyond.

He had a career year in his lone season in the Bronx, hitting a career-high 41 homers with 109 RBI and a .288 average and .419 on-base percentage in front of AL MVP Aaron Judge in the lineup.

Soto’s efforts, which led to a plethora of “Re-sign Soto!” chants from fans during the 2024 season, played a large part in the team’s first World Series appearance since 2009. They weren’t able to beat the Dodgers, but it was expected the Yankees would do everything in their power to bring him back because of how lethal the combination of Soto and Judge were in the lineup.