NEW YORK – Juan Soto is officially a New York Met. News broke on Wednesday evening that the 26-year-old superstar outfielder passed the physical, and the front office was finally given the green light to give welcome statements.
“This is a seminal moment in franchise history. Juan Soto is a generational talent. He is not only bringing staggering historical statistics with him but also a championship pedigree. Our Amazin’ fan base is very excited to welcome Juan to Queens. Congratulations Juan,” said Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen in a joint statement on Wednesday.
S O T O pic.twitter.com/BZoEj3uk0r
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) December 12, 2024
Family First
Juan Soto made his Mets-press debut at Citi Field on Thursday, donning his new set of pinstripes – Including his last name in large font on the back. When asked about his decision to sign with the Mets, “The way Steve [Cohen] talked about what he wants to do in the future… it’s one of the things that changed my mind about the Mets,” Soto said.
“The Mets are a great organization. They have the ability to keep winning, to try to grow a dynasty. What you were seeing from the other side was unbelievable.”
Juan Soto says that the way Steve Cohen and the Mets presented their vision of the future helped him decide to come to Queens pic.twitter.com/LlBN1kqk1z
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) December 12, 2024
The focus is on family, and you can thank Alex Cohen for that. The Cohen’s have brought such a genuine warmth to Citi Field that you can almost feel it through the screen – It reminds you of all the reasons to truly love baseball. Even in the wake of signing an unfathomable contract; It still doesn’t feel “commercial.” All of Soto’s and the Cohen’s families were present at Thursday’s presser, supporting each other in this truly historical franchise-event. The new Met spoke of his excitement to join the Mets, and touched on former teammate, Aaron Judge – Calling him “One of the best guys I ever played with.” It was shocking to hear that he hasn’t spoken with any of his former Yankee teammates since the end of the World Series, but he reiterated that he and Judge are still great friends. Soto even gave a warmhearted message to Yankee fans during the Mets’ press event to thank them for the support they gave him during his 2024 stint in the Bronx.
"I want to say thank you. I actually want to say thank you to them. They really showed me all the love and everything that they have last year."
Juan Soto gives his thanks to the Yankees faithful
(via @snyyankees)pic.twitter.com/bYv2K1dC2f
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 12, 2024
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
More details surrounding the blockbuster record-breaking contract have been unveiled as things became official – On top of the $765 million/15-year deal and additional perks.
The Overview:
- *Signing Bonus – $75M
- 2025-2026 – $46,875,000
- 2027 – $42,500,000
- 2028-2029 – $46,875,000
- 2030-2038 – $46M
- Club Option* 2030-2039 to Increase Annual by $4M/year
- If club declines – May opt out after 2029 season
- Award Bonuses: $500K for 1st MVP ($350K 2nd; $150K 3rd-5th), $1M for subsequent MVPs Plus
- Luxury Suite for Home Games
- 4 Premium Seats at Home
- Security [Player/Family at Home /On Road]
- Uniform Number 22
- Full No-Trade
Taking it all in 🤩 pic.twitter.com/rIgUkMaK0b
— New York Mets (@Mets) December 12, 2024
While he just signed the largest contract in professional sports history – He intends to use the funds to extend the love of baseball to youngsters, especially in the Dominican Republic,
“The first thing that came to mind was, I’m going to try to help a lot of people back in D.R. There are a lot of kids that have talent and they can have a bright future, but they don’t have the support to do it. When you sign a contract like that, that’s the first thing that brings to my mind, to help the community and try to help everybody around my country – and try to create more chances, more opportunities for the people to grow and keep moving forward. You never know who’s going to be the next Juan Soto, the next Ohtani, the next Bryce Harper, who’s going to be the next Scott Boras, who’s going to be the next Steve Cohen. I want to give them that little hope so they can keep moving forward.” (@DeeshaThosar/X)
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
You can’t help but get emotional over a generational talent and class-act choosing to be a New York Met. They are finally doing things right to create a destination ball club for the greatest names in the game.
Thank you, Steve Cohen, David Stearns, Francisco Lindor, and Grimace.
Is it Opening Day yet?
History. pic.twitter.com/mZSdPekwD0
— New York Mets (@Mets) December 12, 2024
#BelieveinSteve
