Juan Soto says Yankees did 'everything' in their power to re-sign him before he chose Mets

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Dec 12, 2024

Published in Baseball

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NEW YORK — The Yankees’ unsuccessful attempt to re-sign Juan Soto was not for a lack of trying, according to the slugger himself.

Soto chose the Mets’ record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract over a reported 16-year, $760 million offer from the Yankees, whom he just helped lead to the World Series in what ended up being his lone season in pinstripes.

“I feel like they did everything that they have in their power to help me out, to bring me back,” Soto said of the Yankees after Thursday’s introductory press conference at Citi Field.

“But I have [the] other four teams doing the same thing and trying to make me feel comfortable. At the end of the day, we look at everything and we look at … what everybody wants to do for the next 15 years, and I think we have the best chances over here.”

Soto’s decision capped a high-stakes bidding war in which the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers also emerged as legitimate suitors.

The unprecedented demand for Soto, 26, followed a season with the Yankees in which the lefty-swinging right fielder hit a career-high 41 home runs, ranked third in the majors with a .988 OPS and finished third in American League MVP voting.

“I don’t think it was the Mets over the Yankees,” Soto said of his free-agency decision. “It was five teams that we had right there on the table. I don’t think it had anything to do with the Mets or the Yankees.”

The Yankees acquired Soto last December in a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres, knowing full well they were guaranteed only one year with the perennial All-Star before he hit free agency.

Soto followed up his excellent 2024 regular season with a memorable postseason, during which he struck the go-ahead 10th-inning home run in the Yankees’ ALCS Game 5 win that clinched the AL pennant.

The Yankees’ mega-offer this offseason still would have made Soto the highest-paid player in MLB history, but the Mets gave him $3.5 million more annually and included an opt-out clause after the 2029 season. If he triggers it, the Mets can void the opt-out by increasing the overall value of Soto’s deal to $805 million.

“My Yankees experience, I can’t even describe it,” Soto said Thursday. “It was incredible. I had the best time. It was really tough to go away from it, but definitely we were trying to figure out how things were gonna be here and there, and as a family we decided.”

Soto referenced his family as a factor multiple times, and he also expressed excitement for the Mets’ future, suggesting he sees potential for a dynasty.

The Mets advanced to the 2024 NLCS before losing in six games to the Dodgers, who beat the Yankees in the World Series in five games. Soto said the World Series result did not contribute to his Bronx departure.

“Even though we lost the World Series, it was a great time,” Soto said. “It was an unbelievable time, and I enjoyed every bit of it. I don’t think a win or loss was gonna decide what I was going to do.”

Asked if he had spoken to any of his now-former Yankees teammates, Soto said, “I haven’t talked to any of those guys. We talked to them throughout the playoffs, but after I had this process, I haven’t talked to anyone.”

And when Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, was asked Thursday about the Yankees’ pursuit, he deadpanned, “When you’re at a wedding, you don’t talk about the bridesmaids, so I’m not here to address why or why not.”

But he echoed Soto’s sentiment that the outfielder’s experience with the Yankees was a positive one.

“The New York Yankees in this negotiation stepped up,” Boras said. “They really, really made themselves known in this process, and the Soto family, I think, has the highest regard, and it was really about internally what they felt was best long-term.”

Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns downplayed the significance of swiping Soto specifically from their crosstown rival, though the latter acknowledged the Yankees were “probably” their biggest competition to sign the superstar.

“We didn’t have a ton of visibility, so it was tough to tell,” Stearns said. “We knew he had a good experience there, so we knew that was going to be a main competitor.”

Soto, meanwhile, said winning will ultimately determine which team is the king of New York.

“It’s been a Mets town for a long time. I think we just gotta bring it to the top,” Soto said. “Championships are gonna tell you if it’s a Yankees or a Mets town at the end of the day.”