Yankees GM Cashman talks Soto, Alonso with agent Boras at meetings

SAN ANTONIO – Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has begun talks with agent Scott Boras about keeping Juan Soto in New York, and they also discussed power-hitting first baseman Pete Alonso.

Cashman said he spoke with Boras at the general manager meetings Monday and revealed he had a conversation with Soto after the season that ended with the Yankees losing the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

“I had a chance to thank him for everything and told him we’d be in touch with him,” Cashman said Tuesday. “And since then, of course, I’ve talked to Scott as well, and so he’ll get a feel for the dance moves that Juan Soto wants, and he’ll keep us in the loop.”

Soto is a free agent at age 26 and is expected to command a contract of $500 million or more. New York acquired him from San Diego in December, and Soto hit .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks, combining with Aaron Judge to form a potent 1-2 punch at Nos. 2 and 3 in the batting order. Soto’s three-run, 10th-inning homer in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series in Cleveland earned the Yankees their first pennant since 2009.

After the World Series loss, Soto said, “I’m going to be available to all 30 teams” and “I’m not going to say anybody has any advantage.”

Cashman said New York was willing to meet with Soto as often as the player wanted.

“We certainly have an interest in keeping him and we’re going to put our best foot forward there,” Cashman said. “It’s either going to lead to us keeping him and signing him back, or we’re going to be forced to go in another direction if we can’t. And if we can’t, there’s a lot of different players in this marketplace , that can positively affect this list in various ways.

“Obviously the pressure point is not on us today, but it’s on the market every winter, so those are the tough decisions you have to make.”

Top free agents include Alonso and third baseman Alex Bregman, also represented by Boras.

In addition to the Yankees, the Mets under billionaire owner Steve Cohen and the Dodgers are among the teams that can afford Soto. Cashman would not express how much of a rival the Mets are for Soto’s signature.

“They want to win. They’re in a big market with us. They had a taste of success this year and they want to move the needle forward even more,” Cashman said. “It’s just the nature of the beast, and big market owners with deep pockets aren’t the only ones signing players to big deals. I mean, you’ve seen the San Diego Padres sitting out on the West Coast. They’ve imported a lot of big players with big contracts. “