New York Yankees batter expected to receive contract worth “the GDP of a small country”

The New York Yankees can't focus too much on Juan Soto's upcoming contract situation. They are currently in the midst of a major playoff battle and hold a half-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.

However, it is safe to say that management is probably having sleepless nights with the left-handed superstar's impending free agent contract.

There are many reasons for this too, and they all make perfect sense. Not only is Soto arguably the best hitter in Major League Baseball, aside from maybe Aaron Judge, but he also brings fans to the stadium. He is a good investment for the team in terms of long-term success and helps the owners make money. For those two reasons alone, there is no reason for them not to re-sign him.

The only reason they would lose him would be if another team came along and made an offer that sounded so outrageous that it wouldn't make sense for the Yankees to try to match it.

Even then, one could argue that he deserves every penny.

But what does that future contract look like? It's hard to predict, because it could actually reshape the market for hitters. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel predicted contracts for upcoming free agents and said Soto could land a contract on the order of “the GDP of a small country.”

“The largest contract agent Scott Boras has ever negotiated is Bryce Harper's 13-year, $330 million deal in February 2019 – and Soto will easily complete that contract…

“At least 10 years with $500 million guaranteed are two big, round numbers to look at here. How much more than those two numbers Soto can get depends, as I outlined in my previous article, on the handful of people who run the three to five teams interested in offers in that range.”

As McDaniel indicated, agent Scott Boras always gets top dollar for his clients. There's a reason he's considered the best agent in the business, so New York knows right away they're not getting a discount.

Still, impending free agency increases the pressure on the Yankees to win the World Series this season. Losing him in the winter would be devastating not only because of the type of player he is, but also because they don't have him on the roster and can't capitalize on it.