MLB insider pinpoints most important takeaway from Juan Soto’s $765,000,000 blockbuster deal with New York Mets

New York Yankees fans were left shocked on learning that Juan Soto, who was a key part of the roster that went to the 2024 World Series, signed with crosstown rivals New York Mets on a 15-year, $765 million, deal.

Soon after the deal was announced in December, another piece of news came to the fore that the outfielder had asked his agent Scott Boras to allow the Yankees to match the winning bid. However, Hal Steinbrenner & Co. stood tall on their last offer of 16-year, $760 million, resulting in Soto going with the Mets.

Was it about the money? MLB insider Joel Sherman doesn't think so, as he gave his point of view on the entire drama surrounding Soto's signing.

"If I were a Yankee fan, what I would be thinking is, Juan Soto rejected us for the Mets," Sherman said on the Pinstripe Post podcast (10:20 onwards).

"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."

This revelation, according to Joel Sherman, questions the Yankees' dynamic going forward. Sherman added:

"If I were a Yankee fan, that’s what I’d be looking at and saying, for the first time in kind 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."

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Juan Soto's Mets roster gets bolstered further after another key piece signing

The Mets have been on a roll this offseason, especially after coming out winners in Juan Soto's free agency.

They have played all the cards right, and their latest signing should bolster their roster further and probably draw level with the dominant and star-studded LA Dodgers.

On Wednesday, four-time All-Star Pete Alonso and the Mets reportedly agreed a two-year, $54 million deal. The signing was a long time coming, but that it has happened, the Mets have drastically improved their World Series odds.