Rewatch the three-minute magic show and remind yourself why Juan Soto is about to shatter the record for the largest free-agent contract in MLB history.
It was Oct. 19: Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. Soto’s then-employer, the New York Yankees, needed one win to reach the franchise’s first World Series in 15 years. With the Yankees and Cleveland Guardians tied in the top of the 10th inning, Soto came to the dish with two outs and two on. What transpired was one of the most sensational at-bats in recent memory.
The first six pitches were off-speed. Soto took them or fouled them off, his eyes hyper-focused on Hunter Gaddis like a lion stalking its prey. After each foul ball, Soto gazed back toward the hurler and, with a mischievous smile, nodded his head in delight. And then, magic. On Gaddis’ seventh offering, the first fastball of the at-bat, Soto cranked one high into the Ohio night for a World Series-clinching long ball.
Time to add a moment.
2024 ALCS Game 5 — Juan Soto battles off some tough sliders and changeups before drilling a high fastball into right-center field for a go-ahead 3-run homer in the top of the 10th.
Yankees win first pennant since 2009.
In its full, unedited glory ⬇️ https://t.co/3noRVCay4K pic.twitter.com/1LS2WVUGGU
— Yankees Focus (@YankeesFocus) October 20, 2024
That showdown showcased everything that makes Soto generational, singular, otherworldly. The swagger, the intelligence, the presence — and the skills to back it all up. There is nothing quite like it. And as soon as the Yankees flamed out of the World Series, Soto and his foray into free agency immediately became the story of the sport.
The questions are already piling up. Traded to the Yankees only last offseason, will the four-time All-Star return to the Bronx? Or will he jet after one year? Is a crosstown move to the resurgent Mets in the cards? How silly could the bidding war between the Big Apple franchises get? Do any teams outside of New York have a fighting chance? Will Soto surpass the $600 million plateau? How many years will he get? Will the contract be deferred like Shohei Ohtani’s?
These unknowns will dominate this winter of baseball. Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, the most notorious representative in the game, will surely heighten the drama. Yet it all boils down to three simple questions: Where? How long? And how much?
How’d we get here?
Soto debuted with the Washington Nationals in May 2018 as a baby-faced 19-year-old. The…