On Monday, New York Yankees pitchers and catchers reported to the team’s spring training complex, and of course among then was Juan Soto. The Yankees acquired the three-time All-Star in a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres over the winter. In Soto and Aaron Judge, New York has arguably the two best hitters in the game, or at least two of the four or five best.

“It’s going to be fun,” Soto said about playing with Judge. “We both know the strike zone pretty well. It’s going to be two walks or it’s going to be two gappers. It’s going to be fun. I think it’s going to be great.”

Soto will become a free agent after the season and he expertly deflected questions about a possible extension Monday — “I let Scott (Boras) do his thing,” Soto told (via the New York Daily News) — as he’s done since the trade. Boras typically likes to take his top clients into the open market, and because he is only 25, Soto has a chance to set contract records next winter.

The Yankees traded five players, including three MLB pitchers and their top pitching prospect, to get Soto because their offense woefully underperformed last year. New York ranked 25th in runs (673), 29th in batting average (.227), and 27th in on-base percentage (.304) in 2023. They were also excessively right-handed. Only the Houston Astros received fewer plate appearances from lefties.

Soto alone won’t fix the offense — the Yankees also need Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton to have bounceback seasons, among others — but he is one of the best hitters in the game, so he will certainly help. Soto slashed .275/.410/.519 with an MLB-leading 132 walks and a career high 35 homers, and a good chunk of the season was spent wondering why he was slumping.

The Yankees went 82-80 in 2023, their worst record since going 76-86 in 1992. In addition to Soto, the Yankees also brought in Marcus Stroman and Alex Verdugo this offseason, and they remain in the mix for Blake Snell. Manager Aaron Boone said the team is “hell-bent on being a champion” last week. The Yankees have a hill to climb, for sure, and Soto will make that climb a little easier.

“We have everything that we need (to win a World Series),” Soto said Monday. “… We’ve got to put our egos away and we’ve got to play as a team and try to do the little things when it matters.”