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The Yankees were surprised by Juan Soto’s decision to sign with the Mets.

The New York Yankees appear to still have their minds on Juan Soto, even though the slugger opted to bolt for the team’s crosstown rival at the end of 2024. New details continue to emerge about how the final days of the Yankees’ negotiations with Soto played out before the star opted to sign with the New York Mets.

It appears the Yankees were caught by surprise about Soto’s decision to join the Mets despite plenty of MLB rumors indicating this was a distinct possibility before the move was announced. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Yankees still surprisingly expected Soto to re-sign with the team before the star revealed his decision.

“The New York Yankees are convinced that Juan Soto was ready to re-sign with them on Dec. 11,” Nightengale wrote in a May 25, 2025, story titled, “MLB’s best comeback story? Jacob deGrom looks like the Cy Young winner he was.”

“He asked for a bit more time, was going to discuss it with his family during lunch, and the next thing they knew he was signing with the Mets after being persuaded by family members.”

Juan Soto Cited Skepticism About the Yankees’ Future Outlook as Part of His Reason for Joining the Mets

Instead, Soto opted to sign a massive 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets. During a March interview with Sports Illustrated, Soto explained his decision to join the Mets, hinting at skepticism about how good the Yankees would be in the future.

“As you see how long this contract is going to be, it just came down to that decision, you know?” Soto noted. “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 Claims His Slow Start With the Mets is Due to an ‘Adjustment Period’

The Mets could have a bit of buyer’s remorse if Soto is unable to increase his production. Soto is hitting just .233 through his first 53 games, well below his previous .288 average with the Yankees in 2024.

The reason for Soto’s slump to start his Mets tenure? New York Post’s Jon Heyman revealed details about his conversation with Soto and agent Scott Boras who cited “an adjustment period” in relation to the slow star.

“They both say that there’s an adjustment period,” Heyman explained, per Sports Illustrated’s Blake Silverman. “They don’t think that it’s about the contract, the record $765 million deal, they believe it’s an adjustment that would come with any situation whether he’s making $765 million or $765,000.”

MLB Rumors: The Yankees Are ‘Aggressively’ Attempting to Trade for a New Third Baseman

The Yankees may not be done thinking about Soto, but the front office is also planning to make additional moves in the coming months. New York is attempting to land a third baseman via trade, per Nightengale.

“The Yankees are aggressively searching for a right-handed bat, preferably a third baseman, while also looking for another starter,” Nightengale noted.

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports contributor covering the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been prominently featured on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams