The New York Yankees did all they could to re-sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto this offseason.
The incumbent Yankees offered Soto a 16-year, $760 million deal, which would have made him by far the highest paid player in MLB history, surpassing Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, in the end, Soto chose the crosstown rival New York Mets, who offered him a 15-year, $765 million deal.
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While Soto ultimately chose the Mets, officially putting pen to paper on Dec. 11, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports revealed that the Yankees were “convinced” Soto was ready to re-sign with them.
“The New York Yankees are convinced that Juan Soto was ready to re-sign with them on Dec. 11,” Nightengale wrote in his latest article. “He asked for a bit more time, was going to discuss it with his family during lunch, and the next thing they knew he was signing with the Mets after being persuaded by family members.”
Last week, following Soto’s return to Yankee Stadium as a member of the Mets, Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay revealed that Soto actually wanted to re-sign with the Yankees in the offseason, but his family convinced him otherwise.
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“Why isn’t he happy? It comes down to this. I’ll say it now, and it will be denied. Of course, it has to be denied. But I have talked to people that I respect. He wanted to return to the Yankees. That was his preference,” Kay said on The Michael Kay Show.
“His family said, ‘You are going to the Mets.’ His family felt very comfortable around Alex and Steve Cohen. And they said, ‘You are going to the Mets.’ And he is a guy that listens to his family. So I think at this point, he is probably a bit down, pouting a bit. And then to come into Yankee Stadium with three straight sellout crowds, at a place that was his Field of Dreams. It became his Field of Nightmares over the weekend.”
Soto is in the midst of the worst start of his eight-year career, slashing .236/.363/.414 with eight home runs, 24 RBIs and an OPS of .777.
For reference, entering this season, he had a career slash line of .285/.421/.532 with an OPS of .953.
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