It was the free agency decision that shook the city that never sleeps.
Juan Soto, the 26-year-old superstar outfielder, chose to leave the New York Yankees to sign a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets in December. He instantly became a hero in Queens, and a supervillain in the Bronx.
On Friday, Soto makes his return to Yankee Stadium in a Mets uniform. He’ll be relentlessly booed, because Yankees fans don’t care that he was only there for one year, and not even by choice.
But those fans will always think about the legacy that could have been with Soto and Aaron Judge hitting back-to-back in the lineup for a decade. It was a historic tandem in 2024, with Judge winning the Most Valuable Player Award and Soto finishing third in the voting.
However, though some have speculated based on past comments that Soto could have regrets about his decision, the Mets star emphasized in the lead-up to the showdown that he’s happy to be in his new home.
“No, no. I made a decision, and I’m happy that I made it,” Soto told the New York Post. “You look around. We have an unbelievable team. And it’s going to be a good team for a long time.”
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Soto also knows he’s in for a rude welcome at Yankee Stadium, and he’s doing his best to embrace it.
“It’s going to be 50,000 against one,” Soto said. “They’re going to try to get on me, you know. It’s part of it. Whatever they do, they have a right to do it.”
Soto will bat second and step in the box against Yankees lefty Carlos Rodon in the top of the first inning on Friday night. From there, the weekend is sure to take several dramatic twists and turns.
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