Juan Soto puts Brian Cashman in line of fire with latest free agency comment

Juan Soto has spent the last five years turning down contract extension offers that would have paid him upwards of $300 million over the next decade. Soto had one plan in mind: hit the unrestricted free agency market.

Now, this offseason, Soto is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career, and the deal that he's anticipated to sign will be record breaking. He's looking to sign for over $600 million, making him the second-highest paid player in baseball history, behind only the sensational Shohei Ohtani.

Soto has been connected to many different teams, with his current team, the New York Yankees, dominating those rumors. Aaron Judge has led the charge, showing support and encouragement as the crowd chanted "Re-sign Soto!" at a recent Yankees game.

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Juan Soto's latest free agency comments turn up the heat on Brian Cashman

But Soto has kept his intentions under wraps for the most part. After the fans were chanting "Please stay Soto!" at a recent game, Soto acknowledged the home crowd before being asked about it after the game.

"I don't know. They have to talk to Cashman," Soto said with a big smile on his face.

This certainly points in the direction that Soto will end up with the highest bidder this offseason, as most expected would be the case. He didn't decline all the record breaking contract extensions over the years just to be underpaid by the Yankees because he enjoys it there.

Now, if the Yankees offer a contract that's equal or close to the highest offer on the table, Soto could end up back in the Bronx, solely because of how much he is obviously enjoying playing with this team. It's impossible to not see the obvious enjoyment that Soto has on the baseball field right now.

A deal for Soto could look something like 12 years, $650 million, if I had to throw out a guess. When you get in the ballpark of numbers that big, it's incredibly hard to predict what he could end up with.

But one thing is for certain: no amount of chanting from the fans will retain Soto. That task is solely in the hands of Brian Cashman and Soto knows it.