DALLAS In the face of their biggest offseason lo s 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 Draymond Green Jersey a year in which Soto sure seemed content in what was hailed by all involved as an unusually happy clubhouse. No regrets from a with Soto and agent Scott Boras that people from both parties say went well. No regrets from an escalating, blind auction for Sotos services that ended with an offer that, in total money, . Brian Cashman is pictured on Oct. 28. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con 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. Im really proud of his efforts certainly went well beyond what I wouldve 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. Explore More Soto declined, wanting to hit free agency. Soto showed no signs of pre sure 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 Posts coverage of Juan Sotos historic megadeal with the Mets: 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 Sotos nod. You get some hints that youre short and we kept trying to close the gap, but we didnt know who we were closing against for a period of time, Cashman said from the clubs suite at the Hilton Anatole hotel. Felt like it was Boston. Maybe it was Toronto. Maybe it was the Mets. Just didnt know. Juan Soto reacts after homering against the Reds on July 4. Charles Wenzelberg Cashman submitted his clubs 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. Juan Soto and Scott Boras are pictured on Oct. 25. AP The Mets 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 dont know, said Cashman, whose club did not receive an edge from Sotos experience in The Bronx. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! 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 to s-up would land in the incumbents 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. Im not sure if theres anything we could do any different. Outside of winning the World Series, it played out perfect. Nico Mannion Jersey