Mets' Juan Soto makes shocking revelation about free-agency decision

It's been widely believed since December that All-Star outfielder Juan Soto left the New York Yankees to sign with the New York Mets in free agency because Mets owner Steve Cohen offered Soto the most money. 

During a recent chat with Abriendo Sports, Soto interestingly said his choosing the Mets this past offseason was a "collective decision."

"The Mets weren’t the ones who offered the most money," Soto said, as shared by Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "There were teams that offered more than the Mets." 

Soto added that the Mets, Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays were the five finalists during his free-agency journey. It's unclear if Soto revealed which team(s) offered him more money than he ultimately received from the Amazins. The full interview is due to drop on Sunday.

Soto received a 16-year, $760M offer from the Yankees but ultimately put pen to paper on a 15-year, $765M contract that could reportedly exceed $800M total to make the move to Queens. That deal also included a $75M signing bonus, an opt-out after five seasons and no deferred money.

Considering the Blue Jays failed to lock first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. down via an extension before his self-imposed deadline for negotiations, it seems unlikely they bettered Cohen's offer for Soto's services. 

Along with the historic contract, Cohen gave Soto a suite for the slugger's family at Citi Field that can be used during Mets home games. According to John Heyman of the New York Post, Soto also "got security for himself and family at home and on the road and additional notation for 'family services.'" 

Back in February, Cohen acknowledged during an appearance on the "Meet at the Apple" podcast that he felt "the family thing definitely helped" him win the Soto sweepstakes. While Soto has little reason to complain about making a small fortune over at least the next five years of his career, it's nevertheless interesting that he may have left some money on the table to sign with the Mets shortly after he represented the Yankees in the 2024 World Series.