Juan Soto Bolting From The Yankees Might Have Been Helped By One Of The Pettiest Reasons

MLB: World Series-Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Yankees — Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets signed superstar outfielder Juan Soto to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract, making it the largest deal in the history of professional sports.

The agreement includes no deferred money, a $75 million signing bonus, and an opt-out clause after five years that the Mets can void by increasing Soto’s annual salary from $51 million to $55 million for the final 10 years. In other words, the deal could end up being over $800 million in total.

Soto, who previously played for the New York Yankees, will now join the Mets, bolstering their lineup with his exceptional hitting prowess at the young age of 26.

In an under-appreciated aspect of the bombshell coup by the Mets over their Subway Series rivals, there is a very petty reason that might have added to the motivation for Soto to skip away from Yankee Stadium.

How The Mets Landed Juan Soto

I think most baseball observers are a bit shocked that the Mets were able to land Juan Soto. Indeed, he seemingly had a good run with the Yankees, having just come up short for the World Series title.

And Soto has some power in the lineup that affords him a bit of protection from being worked around. Not to mention, the Mets played a little over their heads last season, only making the playoffs after an impressive run following a first pitch from Grimace.

Are they closer to a championship now? Sure. Are they closer to a championship than the Yankees? Probably not. And they’ll continue to have a hell of a time getting past the Los Angeles Dodgers for years to come.

So what else could have swayed Soto? According to a report from The New York Post, an absurdly petty factor may have come into play.

A Security Issue Involving His Family

According to the New York Post, Juan Soto was holding a bit of a grudge against the Yankees security staff over an incident involving a family member earlier in the season.

Soto “allegedly was upset” early on with his time in the Yankees organization due to an “overzealous” security guard restricting one of his family members and an aide from certain areas in the stadium.

Now, that’s not to say it’s the reason he didn’t stay with the Yankees. But the Post report suggests that Mets owner Steve Cohen was aware of the incident. He allegedly used it to his advantage.

In meetings with the superstar, Cohen reportedly brought three people with him. These people were his wife, Alex, his father-in law … and the Mets’ traveling secretary, Edgar Suero,

Suero “explained the team’s logistics and how they take care of (players) families.”

Credit Cohen for the play, but if that was a factor – Soto will never admit it, by the way – for him leaving the most storied franchise in history who offered similar numbers for a contract, then holy cow.