DALLAS — In the face of their biggest offseason loss in recent memory, the Yankees have no regrets.
No regrets with the decision to trade for Juan Soto ahead of his walk season.
No regrets with a year in which Soto sure seemed content in what was hailed by all involved as an unusually happy clubhouse.
No regrets from a meeting in Southern California with Soto and agent Scott Boras that people from both parties say went well.
No regrets from an escalating, blind auction for Soto’s services that ended with an offer that, in total money, came just $5 million short.
The bidding “took us to heights that I never would have expected,” GM Brian Cashman said at the Winter Meetings on Monday, a day after the Mets won the Soto tug-of-war. “Hal Steinbrenner really stepped up to find a way to retain Juan Soto. I’m really proud of his efforts — certainly went well beyond what I would’ve expected.”
With the lone exception of those World Series duds, the Yankees believed they put themselves in the best position to retain one of the most alluring free agents in baseball history.
In May or June, Cashman said, Steinbrenner met with Soto to gauge interest in striking a long-term deal early.
Soto declined, wanting to hit free agency.
Soto showed no signs of pressure or distraction during an entertaining season in which he finished third in AL MVP voting and was routinely serenaded by a Bronx crowd that had fallen in love.
He had bet on himself — turning down chances with the Nationals, Padres and now Yankees to sign long term — and won.
Follow The Post’s coverage of Juan Soto’s historic megadeal with the Mets:
- Juan Soto signing with Mets on gargantuan $765 million contract as Yankees miss out
- Heyman: Steve Cohen wasn’t going to let anything stop his high-priced Juan Soto pursuit
- Juan Soto doused with beer in hot tub as he celebrates historic Mets deal
- Sherman: Hal Steinbrenner still can’t escape the ghost of his father after Yankees’ Juan Soto miss
The Yankees did not know where they stood as the bidding began and heightened.
They, the Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers continued attempting to find the contract that would earn Soto’s nod.
“You get some hints that you’re short … and we kept trying to close the gap, but we didn’t know who we were closing against for a period of time,” Cashman said from the club’s suite at the Hilton Anatole hotel. “Felt like it was Boston. Maybe it was Toronto. Maybe it was the Mets. Just didn’t know.”
Cashman submitted his club’s final offer to Boras around 9 or 10 a.m. Sunday, he said.
The proposed pact “went above and beyond where our comfort level was,” he said.
He waited.
That night, he got the call from Boras he was dreading.
“Certainly disappointed,” said Cashman, who then conferenced in Steinbrenner and team president Randy Levine to relay the news. Soon enough, manager Aaron Boone landed in Dallas, checked his phone and thought to himself, “Whoa.”
The Yankees had lost with a bid of $760 million over 16 years at $47.5 million per season.
The Mets had won with a final offer of a guaranteed $765 million over 15 years for $51 million per season.
The Yankees had offered $60 million more than the richest contract in baseball history — the heavily deferred Shohei Ohtani contract — and it was not enough.
If they had upped their proposal by $5 million, would Soto be a Yankee?
“I don’t know,” said Cashman, whose club did not receive an edge from Soto’s experience in The Bronx.
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When the Yankees dealt for a soon-to-be-free-agent superstar, trading several valuable chips including Michael King and Drew Thorpe, they hoped they were gaining a tiebreaker.
Soto sure appeared to enjoy his time in pinstripes, comfortable with the city, the stadium and the organization. Maybe if offers were close, the toss-up would land in the incumbent’s hands.
But Soto chose the largest contract by $5 million either because of that $5 million or because the Mets had won him over in a different way.
“Juan made decisions for Juan,” Cashman said of Soto, who has not yet spoken publicly about his choice. “And so what those reasons are — I know we had a great experience with Juan Soto. Not just performance-wise, but how he interacted with his teammates in the clubhouse. I think he really loved playing for Aaron Boone. I think it was a great scenario.
“I’m not sure if there’s anything we could do any different. Outside of winning the World Series, it played out perfect.”
