Before free agency, Juan Soto has unfinished business with Yankees - ESPN

NEW YORK — This year's Old-Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium, which doubled as a 2009 championship team reunion, offered a glimpse into a possible future for Juan Soto — one in which he commits to a career in pinstripes, becomes a Yankees legend and returns to the Bronx a hero long after his playing days are over.

More than 30 former New York Yankees mingled with current players, roaming from the clubhouse and dugout to the bowels of the stadium. Soto chatted with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodríguez, CC Sabathia and Jorge Posada, among others who flourished as Yankees, won World Series titles, and finished their playing days here. He eagerly picked their brains. He intently listened to their messages, calling those conversations «great for me and my career.»

In turn, those stars gushed about the 25-year-old superstar.

«It's been a match made in heaven,» Sabathia said.

Said Posada: «He looks great in pinstripes. I would love to see him here for a long time.»

Soto has thrived in his first year in New York. He is on track to post the best season of his career and has become a fan favorite as the Yankees' first bonafide Dominican star since Robinson Cano more than a decade ago, slugging alongside Aaron Judge on a nightly basis. His time in the Bronx has, so far, been a rousing success. But even as October and a chance to win a pennant approaches, Soto's impending free agency continues to hover over it all. This offseason, Soto will face the most important decision of his life: Will he be in attendance for the next Old Timers' Day or one-and-done in the Bronx?

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