Juan Soto makes it clear what he wants from the next team with the Yankees' future still murky

LOS ANGELES – Juan Soto has put together what could be the greatest offensive season of a prolific offensive career to date.

His 41 home runs were a career high.

His ALCS-winning home run in Cleveland is one of those timeless moments that remind us why he's in pinstripes.

But to truly make his mark on the Yankees, he believes he needs to do more.

“I've got another step to go,” Soto said Thursday on the eve of Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium. “You can be the best player, you can do whatever you want. But at the end of the day, people remember you if you win a World Series and what you did for that team.”

Nationals fans will remember Soto for a magical ride to a championship in 2019 — and for letting him slip away.

Yankees fans hope that Soto, as powerful as baseball's hired gun, will become more than that.

Once again, Soto dances his way out of questions about a future that will make him wildly wealthy.

He said impending free agency, which will likely see him own the second-largest contract in baseball history (behind L.A.'s Shohei Ohtani), hasn't weighed on him in part because super-agent Scott Boras is handling everything.

By all accounts, including Soto's, the Yankees have made sure the pending free agent has enjoyed his stay in the Bronx.

Soto thanked his teammates, coaches and a culture that welcomed him.

“It's been one of the funnest years I've ever played,” Soto, 26, said Friday. “This team was incredible. It's amazing how we live together, how we have fun right now..”

Will that fun help tilt the odds in favor of the Yankees?

Will he value enjoyment over the financial bottom line?

Follow The Post's coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:

Soto didn't answer directly but made it clear that he wants to play where he can win.

“Obviously every player wants to be happy with where they are,” Soto said. “At the end of the day, whenever you win, you're really happy.”

Happiness probably comes easier when the fan base falls in love with you. Fans in the right-field bleachers — and elsewhere — often chanted “Re-sign Soto” in pleas to the Yankees' front office, and perhaps even to the player.

“I'm really thankful for them,” said Soto, who added that he appreciates that the fans have been behind him all year.

Virtually everything met Cloud-level expectations in his only guaranteed season in the Bronx.

For the fairy-tale ending, though, Soto will have to deliver on the biggest stage, which comes Friday.

The Yankees have not publicly pressed Soto's commitment, with manager Aaron Boone reiterating that thinking about Soto's future is “for another day.”

“When the time comes and it's all over,” Aaron Judge said, “he'll make the right decision.”