In December 2024, Juan Soto joined hands with the New York Mets putting a closure to his free agency. The Dominican outfielder created history after decimating the Dodgers’ most expensive player Shohei Ohtani’s record with his outstanding deal with the New York Mets. Soto signed a$765 million deal with the Mets for the 15 seasons leaving behind the Japanese hitter’s $700 million deal with the Dodgers.
Recently an MLB insider revealed one of the most significant reasons with respect to Juan Soto’s inclination towards the Mets in comparison to the Yankees.
Why did Juan Soto choose the New York Mets over the Yankees?
During a recent appearance on the widely-watched Youtube channel the New York Post Sports MLB insider Joel Sherman not only spoke about the Mets but also discussed their most expensive addition to the team. While talking about Juan Soto’s inclination toward the Mets over the Yankees, Sherman said-
“If I were a Yankee fan, what I would be thinking is, Juan Soto rejected us for the Mets. The Yankees have not had a bad season for over 30 years, right? To go to a team that has finished first six times in their history and has never made the playoffs three years in a row, there was something either lacking in the Yankees in his view or something so enticing in the Mets’ whole setup that it feels like it wasn’t just about money at the end.”
From a fan’s point of view, Sherman clearly elaborated on the factor that why he would have played from the Yankees’ end. He further elaborated-
“If I were a Yankee fan, that’s what I’d be looking at and saying, for the first time in king of the history of the two teams being together, but certainly over the last 30 years, or maybe even the last 50 years, the Steinbrenner era since the early 1970s, a player of stature said, ‘I’d rather play there than here. And that is really interesting to me, and it questions the dynamic of where we are in New York baseball in 2025 and moving forward.”
From prominent Hall of Famer CC Sabathia to Alex Rodriguez the New York Yankees have yielded phenomenal Baseball stars over the years. The reputed MLB team has a rich legacy of winning 27 World Series titles – a record which still remains unbroken by any other baseball team.
Dominican star Juan Soto on joining the New York Mets
Dominican star Juan Soto was introduced by the New York Mets after he was acquired by the team in an eye-popping deal in December 2024. During the introductory press conference, Soto spoke about his excitement with respect to joining the Mets. He said-
“The Mets are a great organization and what they have done in the past couple of years, showing the ability to keep winning, to keep growing a team, to try to grow a dynasty, is one of the most important things. The future that this team has has a lot to do with my decision.”
Soto bagged the biggest contract with the New York Mets in the history of professional sports. Reportedly, Juan Soto can opt out after the 2029 season, but if the Mets go ahead with elevating his annual salary by $4 million, the grand total would stand at around $805 million. Soto left aside the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and the Toronto Blue Jays and opted for the Mets.
