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Former New York Yankees star Juan Soto.

The New York Yankees were on the losing end of a high-profile free agency battle this offseason as star slugger Juan Soto left the historic MLB franchise for the crosstown rival New York Mets.

During an interview with Sports Illustrated that published on Friday, March 21, Soto offered more insight than ever before on why he made the choice he did. Namely, Soto said he has more confidence in the Mets’ ability to remain competitive at the top of the sport over the long run than he does in the Yankees’ prospects of accomplishing the same goal.

“As you see how long this contract is going to be, it just came down to that decision, you know?” Soto said, per the New York Post. “What do they have in the farm system? How many times can we be good on this team? I know the Yankees are going to be good for the next five, six years. We don’t know after that.”

Juan Soto Contended Yankees Were His Top Choice Heading Into Free Agency

GettyNew York Mets star slugger Juan Soto said he began the offseason believing he would return to the Yankees.

Soto said in the same interview that the Yankees were his top choice entering free agency, but that the questions about the New York organizations’ respective futures turned the tide.

It is also likely that the 15-year, $765 million contract the Mets offered played a significant role in Soto’s decision, which he made after just one year in pinstripes that finished in an ultimately unsuccessful trip to the World Series.

The kind of money the Mets were able to offer Soto, along with how the team has spent since owner Steve Cohen purchased the franchise in 2020, is an indicator of how financially motivated the team is to win. That said, the Mets have long been among the more maligned organizations in MLB for a lack of consistent winning and high-level results.

As such, it strains credulity to believe that Soto actually sees New York’s “little brother” franchise as more likely to make more winning moves over the next decade and a half than the Yankees. However, Soto has made his decision and that is the reasoning he put forth making it, so now only time will tell.

Yankees Added 2 Former MVPs to Lineup Following Juan Soto Departure

GettyNew York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

The Yankees lost a lot in their lineup when Soto exited it.

During his one season in the Bronx, Soto earned All-Star honors and finished third in American League MVP voting. He did so on the strength of a .288 batting average, .569 slugging percentage and .989 OPS, per Baseball Reference. He also led the AL with 128 runs scored and tallied 166 hits, 41 home runs and 109 RBI.

Notable acquisitions the Yankees have made to the lineup following Soto’s departure include outfielder Cody Bellinger, who they acquired via a trade with the Chicago Cubs, as well as first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who the team signed to a one-year deal. Both men are former MVP Award winners.

Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible