Yankees legend addresses uncertain future of Juan Soto

New York Yankees legend and Hall of Famer Dave Winfield recently revealed he witnessed during spring training that All-Star outfielder Juan Soto looked "loose" and "confident" as a member of the Yankees. 

"He’s comfortable because it’s not all on him," Winfield told Scott Thompson of Fox News Digital about Soto. "You got some big, bad players over there.…He doesn’t have to be the man.…I’m just talking the big guys. They got a lot of contributors over there." 

Specifically, Winfield noted that the Yankees have 2022 American League Most Valuable Player Aaron Judge as their captain and the current face of the franchise. Soto, Judge and other Yankees "contributors" helped the club win six of its first seven games this season. 

Soto, of course, joined the Yankees from the San Diego Padres via a December trade and is routinely the subject of rumors as he remains on track to reach free agency this fall. Across his first seven games with the Bronx Bombers, he posted a .345 batting average with one home run, four RBI and a .924 OPS. 

"So, he’ll have a good year and I think he’ll be smiling at the end of the year, too, because people will say, 'Are you available?' I don’t want to get into free agency talk and all that kind of stuff," Winfield said about Soto's future. "But I know he likes New York."

MLB insider Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic hinted during a Wednesday appearance on the SNY "Baseball Night in New York" program that Soto's fondness for the Big Apple coupled with his desire to get paid could cause him to leave the Yankees for the New York Mets. Big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen is expected to actively pursue Soto assuming the 25-year-old doesn't ink an extension with the Yankees before he hits the open market. 

"It’s a great way to break out onto the stage when you’re Player of the Week," Winfield said about Soto's award-winning Yankees debut. "I love his tools, his talent. Some people might think he’s just a slugger. As a hitter, he’ll take a walk and use the entire field. As long as he does that, he shouldn’t endure too many slumps."

If Soto manages to avoid too lengthy of a slump between now and October, he could receive a contract worth over $500M. It remains to be seen if the Yankees, Mets or a different team will be the first to reach that massive figure in negotiations later this year.