Did the New York Yankees present an offer to Juan Soto? Owner Hal Steinbrenner discusses their “very honest back-and-forth” during meeting

The New York Yankees have made their pitch to Juan Soto and are now waiting for his decision.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner told ESPN’s Jorge Castillo that the team had a “good meeting” with the free agent outfielder, who was instrumental in helping the Yankees reach a World Series appearance this past season.

Soto, a finalist for the American League MVP, had one of the best seasons of his career after joining the Yankees in a trade with the San Diego Padres. He hit 41 home runs, led the AL with 128 runs scored, drove in 109, and recorded a .989 OPS with a 7.9 WAR.

Soto is expected to secure a long-term contract worth $600 million or more, potentially setting records for both the total present-day value and the annual average value of a deal.

The Yankees’ primary competition for Soto is the New York Mets, though Soto has also met with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers, and plans to meet with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Steinbrenner shared that he had a “very honest back-and-forth dialogue” with Soto during their meeting.

“Our fans really enjoyed having him in New York,” Steinbrenner said, via ESPN.com. “He’s definitely a significant part of why we got to the World Series. I’ve got ears. I know what’s expected of me. So, look, it’s been a priority. We wouldn’t have gone out to the West Coast if it wasn’t.”

New York Yankees owner did not disclose whether an offer was extended to Juan Soto.

When asked if the Yankees made an offer to Soto during the meeting, Steinbrenner declined to reveal specifics, but mentioned he told Soto he would aim to build a relationship similar to the one he has with Aaron Judge. The owner also refrained from saying whether he was confident the Yankees could re-sign Soto.

“No idea,” Steinbrenner responded, offering the same answer when asked if he would meet with Soto again. “We’ll be in the mix. I’ll leave it at that.”

Steinbrenner also noted that he hasn’t set a walk-away number that would prevent the Yankees from signing Soto. However, he emphasized that consistently carrying a $300 million payroll is not sustainable. According to FanGraphs, the Yankees’ estimated payroll for 2025 is currently $238 million.

“We’re in a better starting position than we were a year ago. There’s no doubt about that,” Steinbrenner stated. “Look, year after year after year after year, payrolls similar to this year and the luxury taxes they produce are not sustainable. That’s the case for the vast majority of owners, maybe all of them. Year after year after year — it doesn’t mean in any given year I can’t do what I want to do. I mean, we’ve got the ability to sign any player we want to sign.”

Soto is expected to make his decision before next month’s winter meetings.