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NEW YORK — Just days after losing in the World Series, New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto will hit the open market as one of the most sought-after players in recent history.

Soto’s talent and age — he turned 26 last week — make him attractive to just about any team.

“It’s going to be exciting,” Soto said not long after the Yankees’ Game 5 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday. “It’s going to be a good experience. I think every player in the big league wants to experience this. So it’s exciting to see how it’s going to be.”

Soto is coming off a monster regular season. He posted a .288 batting average, 41 home runs and 129 walks and a .989 OPS. He ranked fourth in fWAR and is a Gold Glove finalist in right field. He also hit .327 with four home runs this postseason, helping the Yankees earn a spot in the Fall Classic.

“I’m proud of the year that Juan had,” teammate Aaron Judge said. “It was fun to come to work with him every single day. Even when the guy was hitting .320, I’d see him hitting late after games. If he had a oh-fer, he was showing up early doing work. Whatever he decides, whatever him and his family decide … he’s going to make the right decision for him. We were definitely lucky to have him here, and it would be great to keep playing with him because he’s definitely a special player.”

Judge and Soto formed a dynamic duo in the Yankees lineup, combining for 99 home runs, but Soto was noncommittal about giving the Yankees a leg up on re-signing him. He’s not closing any doors on them — or any team in baseball.

“I’m really happy with the city, with the team, but at the end of the day we will see,” Soto said. “We’re going to look at every situation, every offer that we get. I don’t know what teams want to come after me, but definitely I’ll be open to listen to every single team. I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that, so we’re going to be available for all 30 teams.”

Though every team could use his talent, only a handful are likely to afford his massive payday. Both New York teams are natural fits, as are almost all of the other big-market franchises. Soto was asked about the possibility of receiving a deal that could be worth over $600 million.

“It’s a lot of money that people are talking about here and there, but definitely we are going to shake it out,” he said. “What’s my value?”

That’s a question that will begin to get answered by his agent, Scott Boras, starting next week at the general manager meetings in Texas. If the past is any indication for Boras’ top clients, a decision won’t come quickly. In the meantime, the Yankees can make their pitch — both from the manager’s office and clubhouse.

“I hope he’s here forever, but I also know I’m excited for him and what the next few months are for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But from my standpoint, I couldn’t have asked for better.”

Judge added: “I think everybody in this room wants him back. … He just does a lot of the little things that people don’t notice that truly make him one of the best players, if not the best player in the game.”

Soto was asked what his priority will be in free agency.

“I feel like everybody wants to be on a winning team,” he said. “That’s one of the biggest things that you look up to. You want to be part of this. Even if you don’t make it to the last team standing, you want to be involved in all these [games], so I think that’s one of the biggest things I’m looking for.”

The Yankees also have a handful of other decisions to make regarding potential free agents, beginning with a $17 million option on first baseman Anthony Rizzo for next season. On Thursday, he’ll have X-rays on two broken fingers he was playing through during the postseason. No matter the team’s decision, Rizzo, 35, said he wanted to keep playing.

“I don’t know what the future will [hold],” Rizzo said. “Talk with Cash [Brian Cashman], see what they’re thinking. We have a lot left to give in this game in a lot of different ways.”

Pitchers Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle are also free agents, as are infielder Gleyber Torres and outfielder Alex Verdugo.

“I just really started thinking about it right now,” Verdugo said about free agency. “It’s been the closest group of guys I’ve been with and these guys get me emotional just because how much they mean to me and how much they accepted me and let me in. So we got some things to think about, but I definitely want to be back in pinstripes to help us win one.”

Soto expressed a desire to win it all as well after coming up just short with the Yankees. But will it be for the other New York team or someone else? The intrigue probably will be similar to Shohei Ohtani‘s free agency last offseason, when he signed for over $700 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the Yankees to win the World Series. Soto’s deal isn’t likely to reach Ohtani levels, but it will certainly be rich.

“Leaving any place that is a winning team? It’s always hard, and definitely this place was really special,” Soto said. “It’s been a blast for me. I’ve been really happy. If I’m here or not, I’m really happy for the teammates that I have and the people that I got to know in here. This was a really special group.”

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St. Pete expects Trop to be ready for Rays’ opener

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St. Pete expects Trop to be ready for Rays' opener

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — City officials in St. Petersburg showed off the newly enclosed dome at Tropicana Field on Wednesday and said they are confident the ballpark will be ready for the Tampa Bay Rays‘ home opener April 6 against the Chicago Cubs following work to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Milton last year.

“We have no concern about being open or ready for Opening Day,” said Beth Herendeen, managing director of City Development Administration. “We hope we keep it that way.”

Some seam work remains on the final panels to close small gaps at the top, and interior repairs are well underway.

Tropicana Field sustained extensive damage on Oct. 9, 2024. High winds ripped sections of the original roof, allowing rain to fall into the stadium bowl for months. Water caused mold and damage to electrical, sound and broadcast systems.

The city contracted ETS, AECOM Hunt and Hennessy Construction to lead the repairs and brought back Geiger Engineering, the dome’s original designer, to help reengineer the roof. The synthetic membranes of Polytetrafluoroethylene are thicker and built to current wind-load codes.

“The roof that was replaced had to be designed to today’s codes,” city architect Raul Quintana said. “It’s a much stronger material than it was 35 years ago, and it’s going to last.”

The Rays played 2025 home games across the bay in Tampa at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.

Installation of the new roof began in August, and the final panel was put in place Nov. 21. Some triangular panels still show color variation, with newer pieces beige and earlier ones already bleached white, but Quintana said they will eventually match.

“It took about three months to bleach out the ones that were first installed,” he said.

The air-conditioning system has been reactivated, and contractors are focused on electrical work, seating and sound equipment. The team is upgrading the luxury suites and stadium videoboard.

“Drywall is being hung, seats are being painted, and the catwalk electric is being installed,” Herendeen said. “The new stadium sound system will be installed this month and tested in January.”

New artificial turf is scheduled to arrive in mid-January. Other final updates include new home plate club seats, clubhouse carpet and lockers, and flooring on the outfield deck.

Tampa Bay starts the season with a nine-game trip to St. Louis, Milwaukee and Minnesota.

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Sources: LHP Kay returning to MLB with ChiSox

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Sources: LHP Kay returning to MLB with ChiSox

Left-hander Anthony Kay and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $12 million contract with a club option for a third season, sources told ESPN on Wednesday, bringing the veteran back to Major League Baseball after a successful two-year run in Japan.

Kay, 30, posted a 1.74 ERA over 155 innings for the Yokohama BayStars this year, featuring a new cutter, an improved changeup and a fastball that still sits at 95 mph years after he was one of the game’s best pitching prospects.

The White Sox are aiming to replicate their success with domestic pitchers returning from Asia two years after signing Erick Fedde to a two-year, $15 million deal.

Kay’s deal will pay him $5 million each of the next two seasons and will include a $10 million club option for 2028 with a $2 million buyout, sources said. He can earn another $1.5 million in incentives.

He will slot into a White Sox rotation that includes young right-handers Shane Smith, Davis Martin and Sean Burke. Chicago used 18 starters this year, when it went 60-102 — a 19-game improvement over 2024, when the White Sox set a major league record with 121 losses.

Kay’s return comes after a five-year major league career in which he posted a 5.67 ERA in 85⅔ innings with the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, who took him in the first round of the 2016 draft out of UConn. Kay cruised through the minor leagues and was dealt to the Blue Jays along with Simeon Woods Richardson for Marcus Stroman at the 2019 trade deadline.

Following a return to the Mets in 2023, Kay departed for Yokohama, where he threw 136⅔ innings of 3.42 ERA ball in his first season.

While Nippon Professional Baseball features a depressed offensive environment, Kay still ranked fifth in the league this year in ERA and allowed only eight home runs in 155 innings while striking out 130 and walking 41.

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Reports: Reds closer Pagán back with $20M deal

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Reports: Reds closer Pagán back with M deal

Free agent closer Emilio Pagán has agreed to return to the Cincinnati Reds on a $20 million, two-year contract, according to multiple reports.

The deal, which was first reported by The Athletic, was pending a physical and had not been announced.

Pagán would have the right to opt out of the contract after the 2026 season.

The 34-year-old right-hander became the Reds’ closer early last season and went 2-4 with a 2.88 ERA and a career-high 32 saves in 38 opportunities. He ranked second in the National League in saves and tied for fifth in the majors.

Pagán is 28-27 with a 3.66 ERA and 65 saves in nine major league seasons with Seattle, Oakland, Tampa Bay, San Diego, Minnesota and Cincinnati.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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