SAN ANTONIO – Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has begun talks with agent Scott Boras about keeping Juan Soto with New York, and they also discussed power-hitting first baseman Pete Alonso.

Cashman said he spoke with Boras during general managers meetings on Monday and revealed he had a conversation with Soto after the season, which ended with the Yankees losing the World Series in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I got a chance to thank him for everything and told him we would be in touch,” Cashman said Tuesday. “And since then, of course, I’ve also talked to Scott so he can get an idea of ​​what dance moves Juan Soto wants, and he’ll keep us informed.”

Soto is a free agent at 26 and is expected to get a contract worth $500 million or more. New York acquired him from San Diego in December, and Soto hit .288 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs and 129 walks, combining with Aaron Judge to form a powerful 1-2 punch at Nos. 2 and 3 in the batting order. Soto’s three-run 10th-inning home run in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series in Cleveland gave the Yankees their first pennant since 2009.

After the World Series loss, Soto said, “I will be available for all thirty teams” and “I don’t want to say anyone has any advantage.”

Cashman said New York was willing to meet with Soto as often as the player wanted.

“We certainly have an interest in retaining him and we will do our best to do so,” Cashman said. “That will result in us keeping him and bringing him back, or forcing us to go in a different direction if we can’t. And if we can’t do that, there are a lot of different players in this market that can do that in a positive way. affects this schedule in several ways.

“Obviously this pressure point is not ours today, but it does exist in the market every winter, so those are the tough decisions you have to make.”

Top free agents include Alonso and third baseman Alex Bregman, also represented by Boras.

In addition to the Yankees, the Mets under billionaire owner Steve Cohen and the Dodgers are among the teams that could afford Soto. Cashman wouldn’t say how much of a rival the Mets are for Soto’s signature.

“They want to win. They’re in a big market with us. They’ve tasted success this year and they want to move the needle even further,” Cashman said. ‘That’s the nature of the beast, and big market owners with deep pockets aren’t the only ones signing players to big deals. I mean, you’ve seen the San Diego Padres on the West Coast. imported a lot of big players with big contracts.”