New York Yankees icon and present YES Community analyst David Cone made it identified last spring that he had no drawback with the truth that then-Yankees outfielder Juan Soto needed to succeed in free company following the 2024 season. After all, Soto finally left the Yankees to signal a large take care of the New York Mets.
Throughout a latest chat with Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media, Cone despatched fairly a message to Yankees followers who’re nonetheless upset that Soto will probably be taking part in dwelling video games in Queens for the foreseeable future.
“Recover from it,” Cone mentioned. “And the way you recover from it’s simply by what the Yankees are doing. You pivot.”
Particularly, the Yankees acquired a number of massive names corresponding to ace Max Fried, outfielder Cody Bellinger, nearer Devin Williams and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt after group proprietor Hal Steinbrenner was prepared to give Soto $760M over 16 years. The slugger instead signed a 15-year, $765M contract that might exceed $800M complete and included a $75M signing bonus, an opt-out after 5 years and no deferred cash to affix the Mets.
“I used to be amazed at how far (the bidding battle) went,” Cone mentioned about Soto’s free-agency saga. “It’s actually indicative of the present compensation system. You might have somebody like Soto, who drives all the pieces up so far as it may possibly go to search out out what he can get in free company.”
A lot was made in December about how Mets proprietor Steve Cohen and his spouse, Alex, received Soto’s mom over by providing the 26-year-old a set for his household at Citi Area together with different “family services.” Cone talked about that he “can perceive why” such further touches would attraction to a celebrity athlete.
“I’ve seen it first-hand,” Cone defined. “The Cohen household, husband and spouse, are dynamic. They will make you are feeling heat and fuzzy. I may see how Soto was going to really feel that approach about them.”
Solely time will inform if Steinbrenner is correct in regards to the Yankees having “a better team right now than we did a 12 months in the past in the present day” and about not caving on a set for Soto as a result of gamers corresponding to present group captain Aaron Choose and Yankees legend Derek Jeter have beforehand paid for suites. With that mentioned, historical past reveals Yankees followers will not react kindly if Soto helps the Mets grow to be the New York group that subsequent celebrates a World Sequence triumph.
“He’s on the lookout for his personal nest,” Cone added about Soto. “He feels heat and fuzzy with the Mets.”
