The 25-year-old superstar had assumed he would play for the Washington Nationals for the rest of his career, but after some trades, he has taken a more astute stance as he establishes himself in New York.
Juan Soto sobbed all day the day he was traded for the first time. He shrugged the second time and resumed his job.
As a member of his third team before turning 26, he sits at his locker in the New York Yankees camp and says, “I already went through it.” The first time was more painful. That group believed in me, gave me a chance, and helped me succeed. I had a title with the squad. That is painful. You want to win more titles with that squad once you win one. It wasn’t easy. However, I did learn from it that that is the challenging aspect of the game. I accepted it, kept going, and mentally prepared myself for whatever came next.
Juan Soto was a content child two years ago, viewing baseball as a game, and he had big dreams of playing for the Washington Nationals for the rest of his life. But in July 2022, when he and agent Scott Boras declined a rumored $440 million, 15-year agreement, the organization moved their star right fielder to the San Diego Padres at the deadline, for the best hitter this side of Ted Williams. General manager Mike Rizzo had informed Juan Soto that the organization would try to acquire something for him instead of letting him go in free agency if they couldn’t agree. However, Juan Soto never truly thought that would occur. Leaving crushed his heart.
That contented child has grown into a more astute young man who now views the sport as a business and has started behaving appropriately. He goes to great lengths to avoid discussing his future in a way that would weaken his bargaining position when he becomes a free agency at the end of this season. He even refrains from giving his new team too much praise in case executives believe he is trying to get an extension. Is he upset because the innocent child has left?
“I won’t say I’m depressed,” he declares. “I’ll say that I gained new knowledge that I was unaware of previously.”
He was unsettled by the move to San Diego. He told the media early last year that it took him months to feel at ease in his new house and that friends and relatives questioned his decision to withdraw all that money. He struggled in his first 80 games, but throughout the latter five months of the previous season, he got back to his normal self, hitting.290 and slugging.548, respectively. In addition to becoming an All-Star and Silver Slugger, he was voted sixth for the National League MVP Award.
But the Padres crumbled and missed the playoffs despite having a $248 million payroll that was seventh all-time among clubs and third in the majors the previous season. After San Diego made a move to reduce payroll, Juan Soto—who will earn $31.5 million this year, the most for a player with his length of service—started to appear in trade speculations.
“I spoke with [general manager A.J. Preller], and he assured me that he wouldn’t trade me, that I would lead the team and other things,” Juan Soto said. “I had faith in him. However, he informed me that we were trading you a week before to my transaction. We are sincerely attempting to obtain stuff for you. I said, “O.K.” I recognized then that the situation was serious. He had been assuring me, “No, no, no, we’re just listening,” before that.
According to Juan Soto, he didn’t feel deceived. He says, “It hurts a lot, but it’s okay.” It’s not at all painful for me. I know they believe it’s best for them, which is why they traded me. Thus, he made the decision that was best for him. He explains, “I just had to sit down, take it like a man, and keep going.”
According to Juan Soto, Boras was ecstatic to join the Yankees. Everyone around him thinks he’ll be great on the big stage in New York—always the showman, he showed up for his first spring training session wearing a T-shirt that said, THE GENERATIONAL JUAN SOTO—and that he’ll be a successful player for a club that should be in the running for the World Series. For his part, Soto is simply glad that he would most likely survive the entire season without having to move again.
Except for center fielder Trent Grisham, who moved over from San Diego with him, Juan Soto had never played with any of his new teammates. But he’s started to form friendships. Last month, just after arriving in Tampa, he bumped into shortstop Gleyber Torres, who promptly started heckling him. Torres had seen the picture of Juan Soto lifting the World Series trophy as a National in 2019 on his iPhone lock screen.
“You have to fix that!” Torres sobbed.
Juan Soto chuckled. He didn’t alter it, though. He feels at ease in his Yankee role. yet not all that cozy.
