New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (center) poses with his family during a news conference to introduce the Mets free agent superstar, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y. Soto, who played for the Yankees last season, signed a contract with the Mets worth $765 million over 15 years earlier this week.Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Throughout the free agency process for Juan Soto, two themes emerged — money and family. While he would aim for the best deal, he also valued how his new team would treat his family.
Owner Steve Cohen and the New York Mets reeled him in with more than a historic 15-year, $765 million contract (that could reach $805 million); Soto also seemed to buy into the family atmosphere Cohen has cultivated since he bought the team in 2020.
As Soto put together a highlight 2024 for the New York Yankees that was full of smiles and enjoyment, he seemed to store away a couple of family/friend incidents that could have loomed large in his former team’s chances of signing him.
From ESPN, which dove into how the Mets landed him:
Soto’s father had gone to the clubhouse door before a game, sources said, in the hope of bringing food to his eldest son. But he was turned away, in a routine enforcement of rules that were put in place by MLB in the aftermath of the steroid era; in some cases, personal trainers and some family members were found to have served as PED mules.
Another time, someone intending to drive Soto home at the end of a game wanted to wait in a crowded parking lot, and the driver was told to stay outside the area until after the game, per team rules. (Neither Boone nor Cashman was made aware of the two security episodes until well after the World Series.)
These incidents, which seem trivial, were largely kept under wraps during the season — again, Soto seemed to relish his time in the Bronx — but they clearly were not the kind of treatment he wanted for people close to him. And the importance of family became a key aspect of his negotiations, highlighted by reports over the past few weeks.
On Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Soto was “allegedly upset” about an incident early in the season when an “overzealous” Yankees security guard didn’t let a family member and Soto’s chef/driver into certain areas. The details were sparse, though they dovetail with the specifics in ESPN’s story and hinted at how much family mattered. And, yes, the Post said Soto forgave, “But the Mets were aware, and you can bet they will make sure nothing like that happens in Queens.”
In addition, NJ Advance Media’s Bob Klapisch reported, “Soto’s immediate family, specifically his mother Belkis Pacheco, appeared to have a soft spot for Cohen and his wife, Alex.”
But the family theme did not end there. In the days since Soto’s Sunday night agreement, reports surfaced that the Yankees would not budge on giving Soto a luxury suite for his family — “Some high-end players that make a lot of money for us, if they want suites, they buy them,” Cashman told reporters Wednesday — while Cohen gave it to him for nothing. “I don’t view it as an issue,” Cohen told ESPN.
The Mets will introduce Soto on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET at Citi Field, where Soto will undoubtedly be surrounded by the family who helped him make his career-altering decision.
