Despite all that’s gone wrong for the New York Mets this year, Juan Soto was still an All-Star and has continued to produce like one of the best players in the world.
He was, however, the Mets’ lone representative at this week’s festivities in Philadelphia, so when it came time to pose for photos, he turned to a former teammate and some New York Yankees, who were well represented.
This stirred up some controversy, to no surprise, and Soto’s response when asked about his memories of being a Yankee and playing alongside Aaron Judge only added to it.
“I have so much great memories man, I have a great time there you know we have a great time. We went to the World Series and everything yeah, probably celebrating in Cleveland was one of the greatest memories I can ever have,”
The 27-year-old Soto, of course, signed a massive 15-year, $765 million contract to join the Mets as a free agent in December 2024. He has slugged 21 home runs, driven in 51 runs, and is batting .290 through 78 games this season.
Reports have suggested that the Yankees’ final offer to Soto was 16 years and $760 million, so it’s fair to wonder whether he has any regrets about choosing Queens over the Bronx for such a small difference in contract value.
New York would certainly love to still have him. That said, his replacement, Cody Bellinger, has been great, earning a 2026 All-Star nod, while Ben Rice has since received more opportunities and broken out in a major way, also a 2026 All-Star.
Even so, the Yankees would surely do just about anything to have Soto back in the Bronx. While a return seems highly unlikely on the surface, a player opt-out after the 2029 season leaves the door open ever so slightly, especially if the Mets don’t figure things out.
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