Juan Soto Is A Baseball “Centurion:” Scott Boras
Juan Soto is off to a magnificent start to life with the New York Yankees. So much so that his agent Scott Boras compared him to a baseball “Centurion.” Check out the full remarks from the controversial figure below:
“When you represent players who I call ‘centurions’ where you can say that they will be among the top 100 players to ever play this game, when you represent them you don’t worry about the cost of them for a franchise because they increase the franchise value of the team,” Boras said, according to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.
“The only cost is what it costs to build the monument.”
Scott Boras via Chris Kirschner, The Athletic
Boras is not too far off when describing the 2019 World Series winner. In the first two months of the season, he has entered the most frantic market in all of baseball and dominated. It seems like Soto does not even break a sweat. In 57 games for the Bronx Bombers, the 25-year-old has blasted 15 home runs, 46 RBIs, and sports a slash line of .312/.412/.578. That 41.2 on base percentage is the highest in all of baseball at the time of writing. He’s also Top-10 in homers, hits, RBIs, batting average, and OPS. He has also displayed big improvements in both outfield defense and baserunning in a contract year.
Soto has been as advertised and even more. Unsurprisingly, it is pretty much a dead heat between him and Aaron Judge for betting favorite of the American League MVP award. It’s obviously very early but this team just feels different. They are built to win in more ways than one and they currently have the best record in the AL. Fans criticized Brian Cashman for arguably overpaying for a one-year rental as of now. However, the lineup is arguably as dangerous as it was 15 years ago for their last World Series triumph. Furthermore, pitching coach Matt Blake has worked his magic on the starting rotation and bullpen to replenish the depth lost.
Lots Of Centuries On The Check
You’re not paying attention if you don’t think #22 is getting a historic payday. It’s already clear that he is comparing his value to that of Shohei Ohtani‘s record-setting contract with the Dodgers. Right now Soto is on pace for over 40 home runs and nearly 130 runs batted in for 2024. That’s not a far cry from his teammate’s legendary season two years ago. Right now a logical contract is somewhere in the twelve-year, $560 million range. I originally said 13/$598 million but it’s splitting hairs at this point.
Yankee fans should not read into owner Hal Steinbrenner’s recent comments about the team’s payroll. He’s also proclaimed his interest in Soto finishing his career with the Yankees so take everything he says with a grain of salt moving forward. It just so happens that a large portion of the roster are going to be free agents after the season. With priority #1 hardly a secret, you should know that everything else will fall into place later on. For now, enjoy the ride that is this fun and promising season.
Juan Soto plays baseball like a figure of Greek or Roman mythology. The comments from Scott Boras are honestly not too far off. If the New York Yankees can retain him then their value will be better off for it.
