The Yankees are already in the process of moving on after missing out on Juan Soto, as evidenced by the massive, eight-year deal they agreed to with starting pitcher Max Fried on Tuesday evening.
And when GM Brian Cashman was asked about the Soto negotiations on Wednesday, via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, he expressed that the club has “no regrets” with how things shook out, as the superstar ultimately agreed to 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets.
Cashman also addressed some of the reported pitfalls in the Soto negotiations, including the Yankees not budging on including a Yankee Stadium suite for Soto’s family in their contract offer.
The GM said he did not believe the suite request, or a reported early-season altercation with a Yankee Stadium security guard, played any part in Soto deciding to sign in Queen instead of the Bronx.
“Some high end players that make a lot of money for us, if they want suites, they buy them,” Cashman said.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees felt they couldn’t include a suite for Soto after players like Aaron Judge and Derek Jeter have had to pay for theirs.
The Mets, meanwhile, reportedly were willing to give Soto a suite for his family as part of the outfielder’s record-breaking contract.
But with Soto now a Met, there is a silver lining for the Yankees in that they can take the reported $760 million that they offered Soto and spread it out to build out a more complete roster, with the club linked to remaining free agents like Christian Walker, Alex Bregman, and others.
“Instead of all the eggs in one basket, we get a chance to explore what’s in the marketplace, trade or free agency, and measure that with what we’ve got,” Cashman said in an appearance on MLB Network. “… Again, the job here, on behalf of our fan base, is to put together something that’s capable of fighting for a World Series title, and that’s the same core mission year in and year out, and that’s never going to change.”