Juan Soto Sends Message to Former Yankees Teammate After Personal Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 3:46 PM ET

Juan Soto will spend the majority of his MLB career with the New York Mets, yet he made several memorable stops before signing his 15‑year, 765‑million‑dollar contract last winter.

After debuting with the Washington Nationals, the 27-year-old outfielder was traded to the San Diego Padres, who later dealt him to the New York Yankees.

In the Bronx, Soto delivered an exceptional season before departing for Queens, posting a .288 batting average, .419 on‑base percentage, .989 OPS, 41 home runs and 109 RBIs across 162 games.

He helped lead the Yankees to a World Series appearance, which made his move to the Mets especially painful for fans who had embraced him so quickly.

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22)© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Although Soto has moved on professionally, he still maintains strong relationships with several former Yankees teammates.

One of those connections is with relief pitcher Jake Cousins, who played alongside Soto in 2024. Cousins posted a 2.37 ERA with 53 strikeouts in just 38 innings that season, serving as an important piece of a bullpen that helped push New York to the Fall Classic.

He missed the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery and is currently a free agent, but he remains close with many of his former teammates.

This offseason, Cousins has also been focused on his personal life. He took to social media to announce the birth of his second child, another daughter, sharing an Instagram post captioned, “Loving my girl gang, new family of 4!”

The comments quickly filled with congratulations, including one from Soto, who wrote, “Primooooo congrats bro!” for his former teammate.

Even as Soto begins a new chapter with the Mets, moments like this show how deeply he values the relationships he built along the way and how those bonds continue to follow him throughout his career.

Soto’s message also served as a reminder of the stature he carries across the league. He is already a four‑time All‑Star, a 2019 World Series champion, a six‑time Silver Slugger winner and a batting champion, and his list of accomplishments continues to grow as he enters the prime years of his career.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: