Subscribe
Follow Us
New York Yankees fans are in shambles following the news of Juan Soto becoming, well, an ex-Yankee after he signed a massive 15-year contract with the New York Mets worth $765 million contract, as reported on Sunday.
Some fans have that burning feeling inside them, as they grapple with the reality of losing in the Juan Soto MLB free agency sweepstakes. Speaking of which, at least one fan had already lit up a Soto Yankees uniform.
Yankees beaten by the Mets in bidding war for Juan Soto
There is only so much a Yankees fan can do to cope with this latest Soto development. No amount of burnt textile can bring Soto back to the Bronx, as the 26-year-old Dominican superstar now starts a new chapter in his baseball career. The Yankees were said to be very much in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, as their reported final offer to him was a 16-year deal worth $760 million.
But the Mets' offer apparently was richer even though it's shorter by a year. In addition, the Mets gave Soto an opt-out clause for Year 5 of the contract, though, the National League East club can void that by adding $4 million in each of the remaining 10 years of the deal. All told, there is a potential for Soto to earn up to $805 million with the Mets when it is all said and done in the Queens for the four-time MLB All-Star.
As for the Yankees, their Juan Soto experience turned out to be a short one. It could have ended on a much sweeter note had the Yankees won the 2024 World Series, but they were simply outclassed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a five-game Fall Classic last October. In his only season with the Yankees, Soto appeared in 157 games and hit.288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs to go along with an OPS+ of 178 — his best in a season since posting a 217 OPS+ with the Washington Nationals in 2020, albeit through just 47 games.
Yankees fans can't burn Juan Soto jerseys forever. They can still hope for better news in the offseason, as the Yankees give more attention to other players in free agency.
