Juan Soto made sports history this offseason, signing a record 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets, a contract that has clauses that could push the deal to $805 million.
According to Soto, it wasn't even the biggest contract offer he received this offseason.
Appearing on the Spanish-language Abriendo El Podcast with Dominican reporters Vian Araujo Puello and Ricardo Rodríguez, Soto confirmed that his negotiations came down to five teams: the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and the Mets.
“The Mets weren’t the ones who offered the most money,” Soto said, according to NJ.com. “There were teams that offered more than the Mets.”
The Instagram teaser for the interview ends after Rodríguez asks whether Soto would be willing to name those teams. The full podcast is set to be released on Sunday.
The Yankees, for whom Soto played last season, reportedly offered Soto $760 million over 16 years. Soto has said that it was not a purely financial decision to choose the Mets over a return to the Bronx, however, saying in the podcast clip that it was a "collective decision," echoing his explanation from his December introductory press conference.
"The Mets is a great organization," Soto said after signing with New York. "What they have done in the past couple years showing all of the ability to keep winning, to keep growing a team, to try to grow a dynasty is one of the most important things. What you were seeing from the other side was unbelievable."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Juan Soto Says Mets Did Not Offer Him the Most Money in Free Agency.