Hal Steinbrenner hears you. He understands what Juan Soto means to the Yankees fan base.
He is aware there is nowhere else to find a generational, 26-year-old slugger who helped carry the club to within three wins of a championship in his first and perhaps only season in The Bronx.
“We listen to our fans,” Steinbrenner said Monday. “Our fans really enjoyed having him in New York. He’s definitely a significant part of why we got to the World Series.
“I’ve got ears. I know what’s expected of me. It’s been a priority — wouldn’t have gone out to the West Coast if it wasn’t.”
The Yankees are one of several teams in the running to sign Juan Soto.JASON SZENES/NEW YORK POST
The Yankees owner knows the pressure and knows the stakes — but he might not know much else about his team’s odds in persuading Soto back into pinstripes.
Steinbrenner divulged what he knows and was willing to share during a scrum with reporters in Midtown: Steinbrenner, GM Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone, adviser Omar Minaya and team president Randy Levine visited Soto and agent Scott Boras on Monday.
The meeting was “a very honest, back-and-forth dialogue” that lasted a “couple hours.” Soto, who knows plenty about the Yankees after playing all of last season in The Bronx, had questions about the player-development system, which he does not know well and which plays a large factor in which teams win and which teams do not.
Steinbrenner did not divulge — or did not know — much else concerning the sweepstakes.
Four times in a 14-minute session, Steinbrenner said “no idea” regarding Soto’s wishes or next steps.
He did not promise that Soto would end up a Yankee but said, “We’ll be in the mix.”
Soto played an entire season in The Bronx and by all accounts enjoyed his time as a Yankee. Does the club have an inherent advantage in the derby?
To this — and to just about all the queries of a similar ilk — a main suitor for Soto’s services might as well have shrugged.
“No idea,” Steinbrenner said at the Owners Meetings. “All I know is he’s earned this, and he’s going to go through the process.”
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner speaks to reporters at the owners meetings in Manhattan on Nov. 20, 2024.Gabriella Bass
Among the known contenders are Steve Cohen’s Mets, the Red Sox, the Blue Jays, the Dodgers and Phillies.
By present value, Soto’s contract is expected to become the largest in the sport’s history.
The Post’s Jon Heyman has reported that no financials have been discussed in this first round of meetings.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner speaks to reporters at the owners meetings in Manhattan on Nov. 20, 2024.Gabriella Bass
Steinbrenner declined to speak about anything related to a Soto contract.
The team hoped that by trading for Soto last winter and showing him an enjoyable, mostly successful season, it could have an edge in the bidding war.
The Yankees, Steinbrenner signaled, don’t know if familiarity will matter.
Do they believe he simply will sign with the highest bidder?
“Can’t really answer that,” Steinbrenner said. “I just don’t know. All I can tell you is: I do believe he enjoyed his time here. He’s close with Aaron Judge. He’s close with Aaron Boone. So we’ll see. But in the end, he needs to do what’s best for him and his family.”
Juan Soto #22 of the New York YankeesJason Szenes / New York Post
In allowing Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo and Clay Holmes to hit free agency, the Yankees cleared about $46 million from their 2024 payroll.
Of course, these players will have to be replaced, but the Yankees have more financial flexibility than in the past.
“We’re in a better starting position than we were a year ago,” Steinbrenner said. “We’ve got the ability to sign any player we want to sign.”
So do the Mets. Cohen led a contingent that met with Soto on Saturday and looms as perhaps the biggest threat to the Yankees, the richest owner in the sport having established quickly that he can and will throw around more money than just about anyone else.
With a few exceptions, the Yankees are not known for allowing superstar free agents to walk. But that reputation was earned before Cohen was a competitor.
According to Steinbrenner, losing Soto to a different borough would not sting any extra.
“If it doesn’t work out, it’s going to hurt a little bit no matter where he goes,” Steinbrenner said.
Over the course of the 2024 season, Steinbrenner did not get to know Soto well. He did not want to disturb him in the clubhouse, where Soto is “in a zone like no other.”
If Soto returns, Steinbrenner said their relationship will grow so he can lean on Soto like he does with Judge and Gerrit Cole. He conveyed as much in the California meeting.
What’s the next step in the wooing process?
“I think he’s trying to get through all the meetings he needs to get through,” Steinbrenner said. “And then, I don’t know.”
