Juan Soto was introduced as the newest member of the New York Mets on Thursday.
While speaking at Citi Field, Soto said the New York Yankees \"did everything in their power\" to sign him, but he ultimately thought the Mets were a better fit.
\"I don\'t think it was the Mets over the Yankees,\" he said. \"I think it was five teams that [were] right there on the table. I don\'t think it had anything to do with the Mets over the Yankees. I think we had all five teams pushing until the last moment, until the last time of making the decision. And we went over to the Mets.\"
Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs in his lone season with the Yankees, who lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
The Yankees\' final offer -- 16 years for $760 million with no deferrals, according to sources -- was competitive with the 15-year, $765 million deal he chose to sign with the Mets.