It has been broadly believed since December that All-Star outfielder Juan Soto left the New York Yankees to signal with the New York Mets in free company as a result of Mets proprietor Steve Cohen supplied Soto essentially the most cash.
Throughout a latest chat with Abriendo Sports activities, Soto apparently mentioned his selecting the Mets this previous offseason was a “collective resolution.”
“The Mets weren’t those who supplied essentially the most cash,” Soto mentioned, as shared by Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “There have been groups that supplied greater than the Mets.”
Soto added that the Mets, Yankees, Boston Pink Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays have been the 5 finalists throughout his free-agency journey. It is unclear if Soto revealed which crew(s) supplied him more cash than he in the end acquired from the Amazins. The complete interview is because of drop on Sunday.
Soto acquired a 16-year, $760M supply from the Yankees however in the end put pen to paper on a 15-year, $765M contract that might reportedly exceed $800M complete to make the transfer to Queens. That deal additionally included a $75M signing bonus, an opt-out after 5 seasons and no deferred cash.
Contemplating the Blue Jays did not lock first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. down through an extension earlier than his self-imposed deadline for negotiations, it appears unlikely they bettered Cohen’s supply for Soto’s companies.
Together with the historic contract, Cohen gave Soto a set for the slugger’s household at Citi Area that can be utilized throughout Mets residence video games. Based on John Heyman of the New York Submit, Soto additionally “obtained safety for himself and household at residence and on the highway and extra notation for ‘household companies.'”
Again in February, Cohen acknowledged throughout an look on the “Meet on the Apple” podcast that he felt “the household factor undoubtedly helped” him win the Soto sweepstakes. Whereas Soto has little cause to complain about making a small fortune over at the least the subsequent 5 years of his profession, it is however fascinating that he could have left some cash on the desk to signal with the Mets shortly after he represented the Yankees within the 2024 World Sequence.
