Yankees rub salt in Mets’ wounds with Juan Soto dig in epic playoff teaser

When the New York Mets stole Juan Soto away from the New York Yankees in the offseason, it truly felt like the tides in New York City were shifting. Sure, the Yankees have as impressive a history as any team in the sport, but when has something like that ever happened? We've seen the Mets lure good players to Queens before, but how many 26-year-olds of Soto's caliber who happened to play in a World Series in the Bronx have been willing to spurn the Yankees for their little brother? Make no mistake, the Yankees wanted him back badly. The Mets just won the bidding war.

The Mets won the offseason, but games aren't played on paper for a reason. The 2025 campaign is direct evidence of that. Despite all of the talent on their roster and Soto rebounding following a rough start to put up one of the greatest offensive seasons in Mets history, New York missed the postseason entirely while the Bronx Bombers won 94 games - the same number they won with Soto in 2024 - and are in the postseason.

The Mets didn't just miss the postseason, but they choked in remarkable fashion. They had MLB's best record in mid-June, and then proceeded to be among the worst teams in the sport for three and a half months, culminating in their embarrassing Game 162 elimination.

As postseason teams do, the Yankees put together a hype video to get fans excited for October baseball. The Yankees' video included one last dig in Soto's direction, 52 seconds in, for Yankees fans to revel in and Mets fans to pretend to ignore.

The clip shows Max Fried getting Soto to whiff at a nasty pitch at Yankee Stadium, and immediately following that, is Cody Bellinger launching a Grand Slam in that same game to put it out of reach. Had the Mets won that game or any of the three they lost to the Yankees this season, or any of the other games they had lost in general, they would've been in the postseason. Alas, they did not. The Mets are home, the Yankees are in the postseason, and they have all of the bragging rights. They're taking full advantage of that, as they should.

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Yankees rub salt in Mets' wounds with perfectly orchestrated Juan Soto dig

I'm a Mets fan through and through, but I appreciate quality cinema when I see it. This is exactly that for so many reasons. You knew the Yankees would include a Soto dig of some sort in their postseason video when they did better than the team Soto joined, but could they have done so any better?

Soto was struck out in this clip by Fried, the first Plan B domino to fall in the Yankees' lap, days after Soto went to the Mets. The next clip shows Cody Bellinger, the outfielder brought in to replace Soto as part of the Plan B, drilling a gut-wrenching Grand Slam, which happened to be just over the outstretched reach of Soto at Yankee Stadium.

Soto had his share of lowlights in that particular three-game set, but the Yankees chose the perfect ones to show that they truly came out on top in the divorce. I have to give it to them - right now, it looks like they have.

Mets won Juan Soto sweepstakes, but Yankees are winning ever since

Winning the Soto sweepstakes was a great moment, but that deal was made to win World Series titles. The Mets are still in a position to do so in 2026 and beyond, even following this disastrous 2025 campaign, with the core and infrastructure they have in place, but how can you not have the opinion that the Yankees are winning the divorce right now?

They didn't want to lose Soto, but Brian Cashman couldn't have handled his departure much better. Fried has been the ace they've needed with Gerrit Cole out for the season, Bellinger has completely rebounded by performing like a five-tool star in the Bronx, and even guys like Paul Goldschmidt and Devin Williams have had their moments, despite periods of frustrating times.

The Yankees won just as many games without Soto as they did with him in 2024, and could easily get back to the Fall Classic. Meanwhile, it might not be Soto's fault, but the Mets have no choice but to watch the Yankees and the 12 other postseason teams participate in October. Mets fans talked a big game all winter, but the team inexplicably failed to back up their words. Yankees fans could do nothing but take the hits when Soto signed with the Mets of all teams, but now, how can they not enjoy this?

There are 14 more years for the Mets to prove Soto right and show the world that they did have a better future ahead than the Yankees, but it isn't looking great right now, and the Yankees, deservingly, are enjoying every second of his and their crosstown rivals' demise.