Perks of Juan Soto's Mets contract sure sound like direct shot at the Yankees

In the wake of Juan Soto's stunning decision to leave the New York Yankees for the New York Mets, there were all sorts of theories as to what exactly compelled Soto to spurn his former team for their crosstown rival. Maybe it was simply the money; while the Yankees' final offer came in at $760 million, Steve Cohen landed at a deal that could max out north of $800 million, and he might've gone even higher if he had to. Maybe Soto just wanted to put himself in the best position to contend; while the Yankees were coming off a World Series appearance, the Mets' run to the NLCS seemed to announce them as a sustainable contender.

Or maybe it was something more personal. Soto is known to have a very close relationship with his family, one that the Yankees reportedly didn't respect as much as the team probably should have. The team allegedly had a couple of dust-ups with Soto's father and other members of his entourage during the 2024 season. And on top of that, New York apparently refused to offer Soto a free suite at Yankee Stadium.

“Some high end players that make a lot of money for us, if they want suites, they buy them," Cashman said at the MLB Winter Meetings, per Bryan Hoch.

Of course, we may never really know just which of those factors loomed largest in Soto's decision-making process. It's likely that all of three of them did, plus some more we aren't even aware of. But we do know what Soto's new contract with the Mets looks like, and it sure sounds like it was negotiated by someone who wasn't too happy with how his old team handled family matters.

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Juan Soto's Mets contract is more family-friendly than the Yankees would ever be

Thanks to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, we now have a fuller idea of just what perks were included in Soto's deal (you know, beyond the whole "three-quarters of a billion dollars" thing). And there seems to be a heavy emphasis on family, suggesting that the star outfielder was determined to make sure that his new team would be friendlier to his support system than his old one was. Per Madden:

"Besides a suite at Citi Field for 15 years, he also threw in 22 (for Soto’s number) Delta Club premium seats, security people for both him and his entire family home and away, and it is said, but not confirmed, the “family services” clause in the contract includes charter flights for his family to road games and a clothes allowance for his mother!"

Throughout the process, rumor had it that Soto's friends were leaning towards remaining with the Yankees. His parents, meanwhile, fell in love with Cohen and the Mets during the team's in-person visits this offseason, with NJ.com's Bob Klapisch reporting that "Soto’s immediate family, specifically his mother Belkis Pacheco, appeared to have a soft spot for Cohen and his wife, Alex."

The Mets seemingly did everything they could to make clear that Soto and his family would be completely comfortable at Citi Field for the next decade and a half, and it's hard to believe it would've become this big a point of emphasis if it weren't in response to something about his experience with the Yankees this past season.