The off-season has turned out to be a mostly Juan Soto affair, mostly. He is in this season, what LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani was in the last off-season. Everyone wants him, almost in a way, as if getting the 26-year-old would give a team a free pass to the World Series of 2025. But then looking at Soto’s sheer caliber and his ability to take the Yankees in the World Series after a huge drought—anything is possible. Hence, given that fact, it’s not a surprise, is it?

The New York Yankees, LA Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and New York Mets are the frontrunners right now. They seem to be ready to pay the heavy $600 million tag that comes with getting Soto. Hal Steinbrenner, who hasn’t always been the most vocal team owner, has expressed his interest in retaining Soto. And given that so many teams are in the same boat as him, and it’s getting competitive, it remains to see if he can pull off a George Steinbrenner move!

Will Hal Steinbrenner spend big for Juan Soto?

Hal Steinbrenner’s dad George is possibly one of the most famous and talked about team owners. During his tenure running the New York Yankees, the team had all A-list players one could imagine. Because George didn’t really care about the finances much. If he wanted a player, he made sure to get them. But Hal Steinbrenner is not cut from the same cloth, and this is what Jeff Passan highlighted in a recent podcast.

At the Baseball Tonight podcast, Jeff mentioned that the Juan Soto situation is going to be a defining test for Hal Steinbrenner’s leadership at the Yankees. “This to me is going to be the ultimate litmus test on the Hal Steinbrenner regime,” said Jeff Passan. He added that Hal’s father would have made some bold moves to retain a star like Soto. Even if it meant pushing the payroll into the $300 million mark.

Jeff Passan mentioned that clinching Juan Soto would ultimately come down to money, and the real question is whether the Yankees are willing to put in that money or not. But as far as efforts go, the Yankee owner is trying his best!

Steinbrenner stepping it up for the gem of the off-season

The New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner isn’t the one who is vocal about the on-goings of the free agency and the off-season shenanigans. The last time we saw him being vocal was when Aaron Judge was in free agency. This time, yet again, we see Hal Steinbrenner being as vocal as Juan Soto. Recently, Steinbrenner told reporters on Wednesday, “I’ve got ears. I know what’s expected of me. So, look, it’s been a priority. We wouldn’t have gone out to the West Coast if it wasn’t.” And this isn’t the proactive aspect he showed!

Hal Steinbrenner was even present personally for the meeting with Juan Soto. And as per sources, Soto came out of the meeting pretty satisfied. There, Hal mentioned that he didn’t get to talk to Soto, not because of ignorance, but because he didn’t want to disrupt the star and his gameplay. These efforts show that he is doing everything possible to get Soto to rejoin the club. However, these instances also direct to others that he seems to be under pressure.

MLB analyst Deesha Thosar, highlighted it in a podcast, “I think Hal is feeling the pressure, and I think the Yankees need it more.” Well, it remains to see if Hal Steinbrenner can channel this pressure properly. Do you think Hal is like his father, or is he different? If yes, how? Let us know in the comments.