New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone admitted that it hurt to see Juan Soto leave his team to sign with the cross-town rival New York Mets.
Boone spoke with the media in a press conference at the MLB Winter Meetings on Tuesday where he tried to turn his focus toward next season as the Yankees look to defend their 2024 American League pennant.
“It kind of hurts in the moment, but when you live in the business and you live in the sport, again, it is sports,” he said. “It doesn't always go your way. It's now an opportunity for us to ….and our expectation is to still go out and build and put together a great team to go compete for a championship again next year. That doesn't stop.”
Soto and the Mets agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal on Sunday that includes escalators that could raise his total pay to over $800 million. The Yankees did not match the offer.




Boone's comments came a day after Yankees general manager Brian Cashman broke his silence on the Soto decision.
“I would say Hal [Steinbrenner] went above and beyond to try to find a way to keep Juan Soto in pinstripes,” Cashman said, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. “There’s a lot of way to figure this thing out. We’re just gonna have to figure out a different way.”
The Yankees are already working on that other way. They've been linked in the last two days to Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros, Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox and free agent first baseman Christian Walker. They will also likely plug holes from within. Top prospect Jasson Dominguez is on track to start in center field for the Yankees next year, and Cashman said on Monday that minor leaguer Caleb Durbin is the leading candidate to start at second base.