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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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Twins call on RHP Matthews to keep streak going

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Twins call on RHP Matthews to keep streak going

The Minnesota Twins recalled right-hander Zebby Matthews from Triple-A St. Paul and inserted him into the rotation for their road game Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 24-year-old Matthews closed out last season in the Twins’ rotation and fashioned a 1-4 record with a 6.69 ERA in nine starts. He has produced a 2-1 record with a 1.93 ERA in seven starts for St. Paul, which includes 38 strikeouts and nine walks over 32⅔ innings.

The Twins, who carry a 13-game winning streak into Sunday’s game, also selected the contract of outfielder Carson McCusker, a 26-year-old who has yet to make his big league debut. The 6-foot-8, 250-pound slugger is hitting .350 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs in 38 games this season for St. Paul.

The task ahead of Matthews is to try to continue a hot pitching streak that has seen the Twins record three straight shutouts, including in the first two games of the Brewers series. Minnesota enters Sunday with a collective 3.15 ERA that ranks No. 3 in the majors.

The active stretch of 33 straight shutout innings is the longest such streak in Twins history, which began in 1961. They had three longer shutout streaks when they were the Washington Senators, but the most recent of those took place in 1913.

To accommodate Matthews’ arrival, the Twins placed reliever Danny Coulombe (left forearm extensor strain) on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday. Coulombe has yet to allow a run this season in 16⅔ innings.

To make room for McCusker, the Twins shifted rookie Luke Keaschall to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Keaschall fractured his right forearm April 25 against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.

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Cora to skip game to attend daughter’s graduation

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Cora to skip game to attend daughter's graduation

BOSTON — Red Sox manager Alex Cora will miss Monday’s series opener against the New York Mets at Fenway Park so he can attend his daughter’s college graduation.

Cora’s daughter, Camila, will be graduating from nearby Boston College.

“It’s going to be a very special day — one that I’m not going to miss,” Cora said before Sunday’s game vs. the Atlanta Braves. “I 100% will miss the game for that. I will do that any given day. It’s going to be a very special day for us.”

Cora reflected on how the time has seemed to go quickly and spoke about how fast his daughter seemed to grow up.

“It went fast, it went really fast,” Cora said of her time in college. “For a girl from divorced parents, her mom did an amazing job, staying the course while I was playing and coaching and doing my ESPN thing. … She’s actually a reflection of her. I appreciate everything she’s done for her and for us.”

Asked if he’ll be able to hold back his emotions at the ceremony, Cora smiled and said “We’ll see,” before bringing up memories of when his daughter was at the 2018 World Series victory celebration and a postseason series wrap-up win over Tampa Bay in ’21 at Fenway.

“It’s going to be an amazing day. It happened fast,” he said. “You put everything into perspective, you go back to the videos of ’18, she was a little girl.

“Then you go back to ’21 when she hopped onto the field when we beat Tampa, she was still a little girl. Now, she’s not a little girl,” he said. “She’s a woman. She had fun with it. She’s a great student and the future’s bright for her.”

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Brewers send struggling starter Myers to minors

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Brewers send struggling starter Myers to minors

MILWAUKEE — Brewers pitcher Tobias Myers is going back to the minors as he continues to struggle to match the success he enjoyed as a rookie last year.

The Brewers optioned Myers to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday while selecting right-handed pitcher Easton McGee from Triple-A and transferring left-handed pitcher Connor Thomas to the 60-day injured list.

Myers is 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA in six appearances, including five starts. He allowed four runs over 3 2/3 innings in a 7-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

The right-hander had gone 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA last season and was selected the Brewers’ most valuable pitcher by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He closed that season by pitching five scoreless innings in the decisive Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series against the New York Mets, a game the Brewers lost 4-2 by allowing four runs in the ninth.

“I love the kid, man,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Saturday’s game. “You saw it in Game 3, that’s in there. So we’ve got to get back to that.”

The Brewers had optioned Myers to Nashville a week ago, but he didn’t actually pitch there before rejoining the big-league club after left-hander José Quintana went on the injured list with a left shoulder issue. Now he’s heading back to Nashville.

Myers entered Saturday having walked 10 batters over 16 1/3 innings. He didn’t walk anyone Saturday, but gave up a career-high 11 hits.

“My goal was to fill the zone up and kind of get away from the walks I’ve been dealing with,” Myers said after the game. “I think I just filled it up a little too much.”

McGee went 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings in 13 relief appearances with Nashville.

McGee appeared in one game for Tampa Bay in 2022 and one game for Seattle in 2023.In the only two games he has pitched in the big leagues, McGee has allowed just one unearned run over 9 2/3 innings while striking out three and allowing five hits and one walk.

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