PHOTO: Juan Soto bids $16,000 to win painting of himself in pinestripes at Yankees homecoming dinner auction

Juan Soto putting on the Yankees jersey for the first time represented the beginning of a love affair with fans that has lasted until today. Recently, the outfielder picked up a memento that will always be able to remind him of his time in the Bronx.

On Sunday night, the Yankees held their homecoming dinner and auction. Among the items that stood for sale was a painting of Soto by Pittsburgh-based artist Cody Sabol. Before the night was over, Soto dropped $16,000 to call the piece of art his own.

"Juan Soto bid $16K to win this painting of himself at the Yankees Homecoming Dinner tonight (via @BAT1STA)" - Talkin' Yanks

The 2024 Homecoming Dinner took place after the Yankees' 7-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday. The annual event serves as one of the biggest fundraisers for the New York Yankees Foundation.

After hitting a career-high 35 home runs last season, Soto was traded to the Yankees from the San Diego Padres last December. Almost immediately, fans in the Bronx became enamoured with the flashy, stylish young outfielder. The devotion to Soto only grew once the 25-year-old began swinging the bat in the pinstripes.

"Six wins in a row for Juan Soto and the first place Yankees (via @Yankees)" - FOX Sports: MLB

Though he is still a new member of the team, Juan Soto has given little for fans to complain about thus far. In 48 games this season, the Dominican is hitting .311/.411/.552 with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs and an OPS of .963. Now under a one-year, $31 million deal, discussions about the possibility of extending Soto by many years and multiple millions have already began among pundits and observers.

Juan Soto's portrait acquisition comes on heels of another milestone

Sunday's game was the seventh straight win for the New York Yankees. On Saturday, Soto went deep twice, marking his first multi-home run game as a Yankee. After the performance, Soto told MLB.com:

"It was a fun day, I was definitely working on my swing, trying to find that feeling again where I was hitting the ball in the first month, getting that feeling back and getting that confidence back."

Although questions about his future in New York remain abound, Juan Soto is arguably having more fun than anyone in baseball right now. Regardless of the outcome of a future deal in New York, Soto now has a token to forever remind him of this special time in his career.