Yankees Prepare for Juan Soto's Well-Awaited Return

The Subway Series rarely needs extra juice, but best believe New York Yankees fans will provide it once Juan Soto and the New York Mets take the field in The Bronx.

In more of the more surprising developments in recent Yankees history, Soto spurned them as a free agent this past offseason in favor of a 15-year, $765 million contract with the crosstown Mets. The 26-year-old superstar does have an opt-out after the 2029 campaign, though the club holds the right to up his yearly salary from $46 million to $50 million across the 2030 to 2039 seasons should he choose to do so.

In other words, Soto is going to be one of the faces of both the league and the franchise over in Queens for a long, long time.

His decision not to re-sign with the Yankees was jarring for a multitude of reasons. For one, Soto put together perhaps the best season of his already-prolific career by slashing .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs and 8.1 fWAR in his lone go-around with the team while batting in front of two-time MVP Aaron Judge.

In many ways, Soto and the Yankees felt like a perfect pairing. He appeared comfortable in the pinstripes, he hit the homer in Game 5 of the ALCS that propelled the team back into the World Series for the first time since 2009, and he was already putting the opening touches on his legacy with one of the most storied franchises in sports.

As we know, though, he took his talents to the Mets, where owner Steve Cohen has completely shifted the narrative surrounding the organization. Coming off a run to the NLCS last year, they picked up even more momentum by adding one of the greatest young hitters the game has ever seen.

Both New York clubs sit atop their respective divisions as they get set to reunite, and Soto has begun settling into his new digs with a 1.077 OPS in May.

Once he steps into the unfriendly confines of Yankee Stadium, however, he knows he'll face the wrath of tens of thousands of scorned fans.

""It's going to be 50,000 against one," Soto told Jon Heyman of the New York Post. "They're going to try to get on me, you know. It's part of it.

"Whatever they do, they have a right to do it."

Yankees fans aren't known to keep their mouths quiet when they feel wronged. From the Houston Astros' trips to town following their cheating scandal to Robinson Cano's return as a member of the Seattle Mariners in 2014, there's plenty of prior examples to draw from.

As first pitch of the series opener rapidly approaches, however, one thing is clear: the boos hurled towards Soto will be unlike anything the team's supporters have showcased before.

Even so, the lefty-swinging icon has no regrets about his choice and is ready for whatever stands in his way, both now and in the future.

“No, no. I made a decision, and I’m happy that I made it,” Soto said. “You look around. We have an unbelievable team. And it’s going to be a good team for a long time.”

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