Dominican outfielder Juan Soto agreed to a $31 million contract with the New York Yankees, a record for an arbitration-eligible player, breaking last season’s milestone set by Shohei Ohtani.
With their agreement, Soto and the Yankees surpassed the $30 million mark set by Japan’s Ohtani with the Los Angeles Angels.
Soto came to the Yankees in a trade from the San Diego Padres last December and has since been projected as one of the candidates to compete for the American League’s Most Valuable Player award in 2024.
The Dominican’s deal stood out on a day of major moves, such as that of first baseman Pete Alonso, who agreed to a $20.5 million salary from the Mets.
Alonso, ‘the Polar Bear’, hit 46 home runs and drove in 118 runs last season. For example, he was the main producer of home runs and runs for the New York team.
Venezuelan Gleyber Torres, important in the Yankees structure, will receive $14.2 million for the 2024 campaign.
The Yankees also reached salary agreements with Mexican Alex Verdugo (for 8.7 million) and Nicaraguan Jonathan Loaisiga (2.5 million).
The Astros’ left-handed star Framber Valdez will receive 12.1 million to continue in search of the World Series like the one they won in 2022.
Dominican Cristian Adames, who hit 55 home runs and drove in 178 runs in two seasons with the Brewers, will receive a salary of 12.2 million in 2024. His teammate in Milwaukee, right-hander Corbin Burnes, a 2021 Cyt Young Award winner, will make $15.6 million.
Venezuelan Anthony Santander, who stood out for the Baltimore Orioles with his 28 home runs and 95 RBIs, will now earn $11.7 million.
Cuban Randy Arozarena, leader of the Tampa Bay Rays, secured an increase in his salary from $4.1 million to $8.1 million next season.
In Atlanta, left-hander Max Fried will pitch for the Braves in exchange for $15 million and in Cleveland, 2020 Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber will charge the Guardians $13.1 million.
Venezuelan left-handed Ranger Suárez will now make $5 million with the Philadelphia Phillies, the same compensation for his teammate, left-handed reliever Gregory Soto.
The agreements between these players and the teams were finalized before the deadline to reach an agreement for the 2024 season, without going through the salary arbitration procedure, which took place on Thursday evening.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
