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Yankees teammates beg and plead for Juan Soto to stay, but to no avail.

Yankees teammates beg and plead for Juan Soto to stay, but to no avail.

In the big leagues, life comes at you quickly. One minute, Juan Soto and the New York Yankees are about to host Game 6 of the World Series. Suddenly, the All-Star outfielder made questionable remarks to reporters about his future with the club.

Free agency officially begins the day after the conclusion of the Fall Classic. So Soto doesn’t have time to sulk over New York’s gut-wrenching five-game loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The next morning he hit the open market, meaning the lotteries for his services had already begun.

And if Soto’s latest postgame press conference is any indication, he appears ready to leave the Yankees for greener pastures. But his Bronx Bomber teammates are doing everything they can to convince him to stay—almost to the point of desperation.

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From Aaron Judge to Giancarlo Stanton to manager Aaron Boone, several prominent members of the Yankees organization have made their respect for Soto abundantly clear. Each of them knows how much the slugger contributed to New York winning its first American League pennant since 2009.

“I haven’t thought much about it,” Judge told reporters regarding Soto’s free agency. “I’m proud of (Soto’s) year. It was fun coming to work with him every single day. Whatever he decides… he will make the right decision for himself and his family.”

Meanwhile, Stanton spoke briefly, although sincerely:

“I’ve never been to (free agency), so my advice is to just stick with us.”

As someone who has never been in Soto’s shoes, Stanton doesn’t know any better. So, the latter encourages the former to return to New York rather than look for other options. Moreover, Boone admired Soto. Apparently the Yankees captain wants the Dominican star to wear pinstripes for the rest of his career. However, he wants the best for the 26-year-old.

“I hope he’s here forever,” Boone said. “But I also know that I’m really happy for him and what the next few months are going to be like for him.”

Whether or not Soto signs a new contract with the Yankees will likely be the biggest storyline of the offseason. But make no mistake: they undoubtedly want to bring him back to New York. Stanton, Judge and Boone speak on behalf of the entire club and fans by publicly praising the feel of the hit.