Getty Image / Al Bello
In case you missed it, prodigious slugger Juan Soto is now a New York Met. The former National, Padre, and Yankee spurned the Yankees to join the crosstown rivals on a record-setting contract.
On Thursday, Juan Soto had his introductory press conference with the New York Mets, one of the most monumental moments in Mets franchise history. And, his agent, mega-agent Scott Boras, took a shot at the New York Yankees after the press conference.
Few hitters in the history of the game are more accomplished at the age of 26 as Juan Soto is. He already has 201 home runs, 592 RBI’s, and 655 runs scored with a career slash line of .285/.421/.532. His 160 OPS+ for his career puts him in the top-20 all-time in that metric, too. He could end up as one of the handful of best left-handed hitters of all-time when it’s all said and done.
Soto, who won a World Series at 20 with the Nationals in 2019, was traded to the Padres during the 2022 season after rejecting a contract extension from the Nats worth around $440 million. San Diego traded him to the Yankees before last season, and Soto had a huge year to help the Bronx Bombers win the pennant. But, the Mets outbid the Yankees during free agency with a record-setting offer of $765 million over 15 years with a $75 million signing bonus.
This has been the talk of New York for days now, as the Mets have always played second fiddle to the Yankees financially in the Big Apple. With team owner Steve Cohen, that’s no longer the case.
Thursday was a joyous occasion in Queens, as Juan Soto was officially unveiled as a Mets signing. After the event, Scott Boras took questions, and threw a bit of shade at the New York Yankees.
"When you're at the wedding, you don't talk about the bridesmaids"
Scott Boras is asked if the Yankees were the runner-up in Juan Soto's free agency: pic.twitter.com/Zm7vNxt7ys
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) December 12, 2024
I’m not sure that’s exactly how he wanted to phrase it, but he’s right. Why would you focus on anything else but Juan Soto as the face of the New York Mets now alongside Francisco Lindor. A Mets team that came within two wins of the pennant should be even better in 2025, and that’s what’s important.