To answer this with Juan Soto will sound redundant and basically make me seem like a parrot. How can fans pick any other hitter for The Yankees to give a contract extension to other than Soto? I don’t think it can really be done. I mean I love second baseman Gleyber Torres, I was leaning this way for this piece, but there are a lot of middle infielders in the system, so if NY can’t sign Gleyber due to the fact they want to invest their money in Juan Soto, I wont be devastated. If we lose both I will be angry though…

who is the hitter they need to Lock up?

The fans are loving the New York Yankees, sitting at 9-2 on the season. With another impressive 7-0 win against the Miami Marlins, fans are ready to say that this team is much different than the one a year ago. The slugger has been viewed as one of the best hitters in baseball, and in his first 11 games in the Bronx, he’s hasn’t let us down. Soto left the yard for the first time at Yankee Stadium as a member of the team, sending fans home extremely impressed and happy. Yankee fans have been giving Juan Soto everything he can ask for, and he’s acknowledged that plenty of times already, saying they show me lots of love. Soto spoke about hitting his home run and how the fans reacted to it.

“They really surprised me with that one. I hit it pretty good. I was doubting, I was like, ‘Is it going to go? Is it going to stay?’ But then when that ball landed, they jumped out of their seats. It felt pretty good.” – Juan Soto

Juan Soto is slashing .357/.462/.548 with two home runs and two doubles in 42 AB, as he continues to produce, the price only gets higher for what the Yankees will eventually have to pay him.

Its been apparent since being traded to NY, the fans wants him to sign a long-term extension. From what Soto has said, “a deal certainly sounds possible if New York is willing to offer him the amount he’s looking for.” – PAY THE MAN.

how much for how long?

Math isn’t my best subject, but he’s 25 years old, I would think $600M for 12 years would be great. I understand that $600M is a ton of cash, but I think it’s well worth it, especially if the Yankees want to start being champions again someday.

who is the pitcher they need to lock up?

A pitcher the Yankees need to lock up long-term is harder to come up. Especially when you consider a reason or realistic length seeing as Ace Gerrit Cole is already signed till 2029 to a whopping $324M. Signing pitchers are never as long as a hitter, not even the top pitchers rarely get 8+ years. I am digging deeper here and maybe even grasping at straws, but to be fair, Rodon is signed till 2029 at 36 years old. Marcus Stroman, whom I have always loved, even before he was a Yankee he’s in his age 33 season already and signed till 35 years old. The Yankees will then have the option to extend him a qualifying offer, or another one or two year deal. As I stated I gotta go deeper here.

Luis Gil‘s first year of arbitration is 2026 when he will be 28, so he is basically the youngest of the pitchers I’ve mentioned. If Gil continues to be solid in Cole’s absence the Yankees need to find a way to keep him in the rotation longer so he can keep proving his worth. Gil’s stats in the minors in 2022 & 23 were pretty crappy to be honest but he dealt with injuries. Luis Gil overall in the minors has a respectable stat line of 418 strikeouts over 312 innings pitched, batters hit just over .200 off Gil, he does possess a losing record of 13-16 but that’s not all on him.

Gil served some time in the bullpen in the minors as well compiling 3 saves with 2 holds. “If” the Yankees do not keep Gil in the starting rotation (which is stupid) they could use him in high leverage situations in relief; but I like Luis Gil as a starter.

how much for how long?

I am not sure what a Luis Gill extension would/should look like but at 28 at the time of free agency a 6 year deal doesn’t seem too unrealistic. To give an example or a road map to use, the Boston Red Sox just signed Bryan Bello to a 6 year $55M extension with a hefty he also received a club option for a 7th year worth a whopping $21M. Bello is currently 24 and Gil will be 26 in about 50 days. Gil only has 42 innings of work in the show with 7 total starts. The extension I would sign him to would be similar to the Bello extension in length, I would not go over $50M and I would tie the 7th year option to a number of incentives such as K’s, appearances and number of quality starts. I would have no problem paying him in excess of $20M, for the 7th season, but he is going to earn it through the first 6 seasons.

Let me know what you think in the comments below, lets talk sports, hit me up on ‘X’ @HENDO19750 or message me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HENDO.1975

By : Rob Henderson

Photo Credit; Pinstripe Alley

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