Juan Soto has denied widespread reports that mistreatment of his family by the New York Yankees played a role in him deciding to leave the team.
Soto swapped the Yankees for the New York Mets in one of sport’s biggest ever deals – a 15-year, $765million contract.
It was reported that one grievance Soto had with the Yankees was that a staff member once removed his chef and a family member from an area of Yankee stadium.
Those claims were put to Soto in a new interview with Grandes en los Deportes, and the new Mets man had a defiant response.
‘That’s a lie,’ Soto said, before apparently then describing the Yankees as a ‘1A’ organization.
Soto continued: ‘My family was treated very well by the organization. They were always there to help me and my family at every moment.Â
Juan Soto has denied claims that Yankees mistreatment of his family caused him to leave
Soto ditched the Bronx for Citi Field, signing a 15-year, $765million deal with the MetsÂ
He also revealed he asked the Mets for permission to play in 10 games for Tigres del Licey in winter ball, which was approved, but he will not feature this season.
Soto was unveiled as a Met last week and said he had not spoken to any of his former Yankees teammates since they lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But he spoke fondly of his time in the Bronx overall and underlined the respect he holds for Yankees captain Aaron Judge.Â
‘At the end of the day, we’re still friends, we’re still cool,’ Soto said. ;Whatever happens, it’s just business. The relationship that we created last year will stay forever.’Â
The Yankees responded quickly to losing out on Soto, swiftly signing pitcher Max Fried, reliever Devin Williams and outfielder Cody Bellinger.
When Fried was unveiled at Yankee Stadium earlier this week, Yankees manager Aaron Boone presented his family with flowers – a gesture interpreted by some as a dig at the reports about Soto’s family treatment.Â
