Takeaways from Juan Soto’s introductory press conference: ‘It’s been a Mets town for a long time’

NEW YORK – Juan Soto seemed to approach his introductory news conference with the Mets the same way he prepares at the plate for his at-bats. Sitting at a long table on a raised stage in the packed Piazza club at Citi Field, he bit his lower lip and nodded his head up and down. It was the same expression we’d seen him make in the batter’s box, except this time, instead of looking at the pitcher, he was facing his future.

Soto showed off his usual confident image as he swapped his navy jacket for a white No. 22 New York Mets jersey that he wore over his black turtleneck. Mets owner Steve Cohen, who seemed exhausted and relieved after last week’s rollercoaster of emotions, extended his hand to Soto and officially began their 15-year, $765 million partnership. What is the first step? Build a dynasty in Queens to help the Mets become one of baseball’s top elite teams.

“That was definitely one of the things that opened my eyes the most,” Soto said Thursday at Citi Field. “How hungry they are to win a championship and to want to form a dynasty with the New York Mets.”

Let’s look at three takeaways from a special day in Mets franchise history.

What made the Mets stand out for Soto?

Being the recipient of the largest contract in the history of professional sports was the elephant in the room, but aside from the obvious, the two words Soto mentioned most during his first big day as a Met were victorious and family.

While Soto was still deciding where he would spend his future, he asked Cohen during their second meeting this offseason how many championships the Mets owner would like to win in the next 10 years. Cohen responded, “I’d like to win two to four.” That ambitious response resonated with Soto’s long-term goal and ultimately became a separating element for the slugger as he mulled offers from five teams (the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays). On Sunday night, Soto decided that the Mets gave him the best chance to win a World Series.

You might think his single-minded determination to win puts pressure on the Mets organization, but Soto actually shares that hunger with Cohen. If anyone is ramping up the pressure to win championships and turn the Mets into perennial winners, it’s the billionaire hedge fund manager and lifelong Mets fan who bought the franchise for fun, as a side hobby, in November 2020. The presentation highlighted Cohen’s deep-seated desire to achieve sustained success in Queens.

“I wanted to convey to him that we are good people, that we care, that we want to win a championship, that I am always successful,” Cohen said. “If you ever want to sit down and talk to me, I said it today at a town hall for my hedge fund. I have 3,200 employees, my door is always open. And most people don’t take advantage of it because I’m the boss and no one wants to.” talk to the boss. But that’s how I trade that way with Juan Soto, and that’s how I trade that way with a junior analyst at my hedge fund.”

To demonstrate the importance of my house is your houseCohen held the California meeting with Soto at his $35 million Beverly Hills mansion. Cohen joked that he invited Soto because “the food is better at my house,” but it was just another detail that separated the Mets from the other four teams. Another distinction was the presence at the meeting of Cohen’s 93-year-old father-in-law, Ralph Garcia. Cohen’s wife, Alex, grew up in Washington Heights watching the Mets with her father, who attends every home game these days, and attended Soto’s meeting to tell him how much she wanted to see the slugger play in orange and blue threads. .

The Cohen family’s openness and promised continued availability were very important to Soto. It made him and his family feel comfortable, and for a 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic who spends his free time with his family, that feeling of security weighed heavily on his decision-making process. But Soto’s favorite part of the Mets’ presentation was a video where, at the end, they showed a statue of Soto erected next to the statue of Tom Seaver that currently stands outside Citi Field. Talk about passing the exam.

“He’s been in a Mets city for a long time, so I think we need to take him to the top,” Soto said. “The championships will definitely tell you if at the end of the day it’s a Yankee town or a Mets town.”

How did the Yankees fall short?

We know the Yankees didn’t offer as much money as the Mets, but they weren’t that far off the final figure. The Mets’ offer of $765 million is only $5 million better, in terms of total guaranteed value, than the Yankees’ offer of $760 million. His signing bonus in Queens is $15 million more than where the Yankees stopped. His average annual agreed value of $51 million is $3.5 million more than he could have been with the Yankees. These aren’t outrageous differences, but for the youngest and most talented free agent to hit the market since Alex Rodriguez in 2000, the details clearly mattered.

“I feel like they did everything in their power to help me, to bring me back,” Soto said of the Yankees. “But I had four other teams doing the same thing and trying to make me feel comfortable. And at the end of the day we looked at everything, we looked at the opportunities and we looked at what other teams wanted to do, and what everyone wants to do for the next 15 years and I think here we have the best possibilities.”

“Look, the New York Yankees in this negotiation stepped up. They did,” Boras said. “They really came forward in this process and the Soto family and everyone have the highest respect. It was really about internally what they felt was best in the long run.”

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Soto addressed the topic of the paid suite he requested for his family at the stadium, and how he was grateful that Cohen was willing to include it. The Yankees reportedly did not sign a paid suite for Soto at Yankee Stadium. Cohen simply said he had heard from Scott Boras, Soto’s agent, that the slugger wanted a suite as part of the deal, so the Mets included it from the start.

“He made a request and I was happy to provide it to him,” Cohen said.

Soto described his year with the Yankees as “the best time,” but also said he hasn’t spoken to any of his former Bronx teammates since they lost the World Series to the Dodgers. He thanked Yankees fans for showing him love last year, but that won’t minimize the barrage of boos they’ll send his way when the Subway Series hits 161st Street on May 16. Of course, he understood that when he chose the two-time champion Mets over the 27-time champion Yankees. But 29 fan bases would always be irritated by his final decision. Soto was prepared for that.

In the end, he was most impressed by the Mets’ intense pursuit. The formal presentation to hire Soto began in earnest in August, when Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns typically begins his offseason preparation, but the groundwork was laid long before that. Stearns said acquiring Soto was on his radar, dating back to October 2023, when Cohen named him the first POBO in Mets franchise history. Cohen’s desire to make Soto a Met was discussed in his initial meeting with Stearns last year.

“We knew if he was going to be a free agent,” Stearns said, “we were going to make a very strong push.”

What is Soto going to do with all the money?

The generational star waited for a big payday for a long time; that was evident when he reportedly turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension with the Nationals in 2021. But still, no one was prepared for Soto to rip up Shohei Ohtani’s contract. record for the largest contract in sports at a whopping $305 million.

Soto had a lot of time to think about what he would do with his money before finally accepting the Mets’ contract this week. Her thoughtful response, based on giving back, provided insight into the values ​​that matter most to Soto.

“The first thing that came to mind was that I’m going to try to help a lot of people in the Dominican Republic,” Soto said. “I know there are a lot of kids who have talent and can have a bright future, but they don’t have the support to do it. And I feel like when you sign a contract like that, that’s the first thing that happens.” Helping the community and trying to help everyone in my country comes to mind, and trying to create more opportunities, more opportunities for people to grow and continue moving forward.

“You never know who will be the next Juan Soto, who will be the next Ohtani, the next Bryce Harper, or who will be the next Scott Boras, who will be the next Steve Cohen. I want to give them that little bit of hope. I feel like that’s one of the more important things. Just give them hope so they can keep moving forward.

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Soto not only supports the Dominican Republic. He lifted up the embattled Mets fan base the moment he announced his decision to play at Citi Field for what could be the rest of his career. Rest assured, Mets fans. There are just a few more months until April 4, when you can give your love to Soto at the most anticipated Mets home opener to date.

Deesha Thosar He is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a reporter for the New York Daily news. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.