Shocking reason for Juan Soto’s Mets choice suggested by Yankees sportscaster

Juan Soto's name was the talking of the offseason as the Dominican slugger shattered records by signing a blockbuster 15-year, $765 million contract, the biggest in MLB history, with the New York Mets.

Soto's name was in the news again as he returned to the Bronx to face the Yankees in the Subway Series. After a disappointing series loss against his former team, Yankees sportscaster Michael Kay made a shocking claim about Soto's offseason move on “The Michael Kay Show."

"I’ll say it now, and it will be denied. Of course, it has to be denied. But I have talked to people that I respect. He wanted to return to the Yankees,” Kay said. “That was his preference. His family said, ‘You are going to the Mets.’ His family felt very comfortable around Alex and Steve Cohen. And they said, ‘You are going to the Mets.’

"And he is a guy that listens to his family. So I think at this point, he is probably a bit down, pouting a bit. And then to come into Yankee Stadium with three straight sellout crowds, at a place that was his Field of Dreams. It became his Field of Nightmares over the weekend.”

The Dominican star turned down a $760 million offer over 16 years by the New York Yankees to move to the Queens after a career year with the Bronx Bombers. The Mets also included exclusive suite access to Soto's family for the entirety of his career.

MLB insider refuted claims over Juan Soto's contract

Juan Soto's underwhelming performance in the three-game series against the Yankees has drawn criticism. It has also started speculations about the Mets clubhouse with a report claiming that the All-Star outfielder was not traveling with the team.

However, MLB insider Jeff Passan refuted the claims in a post on X. He wrote:

"To clear up what others have asserted: Juan Soto does not fly separately from his New York Mets teammates on a private jet. He flies on the team plane. There is no private-jet provision in his contract for him or his family."

Juan Soto went 1-for-10 in the Subway Series with his lack of "hustle" being questioned. However, Soto claimed he has been hustling "pretty hard" after the 3-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Monday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash