Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner made a “great pitch” to megastar free agent Juan Soto, according to a friend, so whether they re-sign Soto — and the Soto Sweepstakes are wide open between a possible final five teams (and maybe a sixth) — the Yankees accomplished what they needed to at their high-powered get-together Monday.

American League MVP Aaron Judge has not spoken to Juan Soto since the end of the World Series, wanting to give him time and the privacy to make his own free agent decision, but it’s hardly as if he’s just sitting back and crossing his fingers that Soto returns to the New York Yankees.