The Yankees got some very bad news after their visit with Juan Soto

The moment that New York Yankees fans have been waiting for finally arrived on Monday afternoon, as a delegation including owner Hal Steinbrenner, GM Brian Cashman and (for better or worse) manager Aaron Boone met with prized free agent Juan Soto and agent Scott Boras in Southern California. The pressure on this meeting had only ratcheted up in recent days, with AL East rivals in Boston and Toronto both selling Soto on their visions and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen reportedly willing to do whatever it takes to be the highest bidder. The competition for the 26-year-old is cutthroat, and this was the Yankees' best chance to sell him on staying in the Bronx.

We'll get to the good news first: Per the New York Post's Jon Heyman and others, New York's sit-down with Soto went "very well"; it seems like Soto genuinely loved his year with the Yankees, and the team made clear just how badly it wanted him back. Unfortunately, the meeting also came with some not-so-good news: Unlike what we initially thought, it turns out that New York won't have the last word with Soto after all. And the team that's up next should have Yankees brass feeling very, very nervous.

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Dodgers, not Yankees, will get the last word with Juan Soto

Soto and Boras aren't quite done taking meetings just yet. There's one more team left: the Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off a commanding win over Soto and the Yankees in this year's World Series.

We knew that the Dodgers would at least kick the tires on Soto — they're the Dodgers, they kick the tires on everyone — but just how realistic a possibility it was remained an open question. Los Angeles can always find some money lying around (especially with Shohei Ohtani deferring almost all of his massive contract), but with Ohtani needing the DH spot on a regular basis and plenty of holes to fill in the starting rotation, shelling out for Soto didn't seem to be the best use of the team's resources. Just last week, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Dodgers "won't chase after" the outfielder, suggesting that when push came to shove, teams like the Yankees and Mets would be more motivated to get a deal done.

Now, though, can we really be so sure? L.A. is not one to be used a leverage in a bidding war; Soto and Boras granting the team a meeting suggests that they've communicated enough seriousness to Boras to at least earn a seat at the table (and that Soto is at least open to considering a return to the West Coast). And that's a very, very scary proposition, because if the Dodgers are willing to put up the money, their pitch for Soto is as strong or even stronger than any other potential suitor.

Soto seems to value consistent contention above all else, and what team could offer that more convincingly than Los Angeles? This core isn't going anywhere any time soon, and the team's financial might and player development track record suggests that they'll be able to offer reinforcements as Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman age out of their primes. You still have to consider the Yankees and Mets favorites at this point: They have plenty of money of their own, and they're even more desperate to land Soto. And the Dodgers have lost bidding wars before; they eventually tapped out of the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes a few years ago when things got too rich. But the Yankees can't feel too good about their good vibes immediately getting stepped on by the team that just embarrassed them in October.