As Steve Cohen remained stern and steadfast, insiders had whispered Juan Soto might wear the blue and orange next season. But the New York Yankees fans kept the hope high. Hal Steinbrenner mentioned it’s a priority; after all, Soto and Aaron Judge were often even called the modern Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig—many thought there was no way Soto would sacrifice that. But whether it was for that new suite or the extra perks, the New York Yankees lost the sweepstakes to the New York Mets.

What makes things even worse is that the Yankees are said to be the big brother of the Mets—the one who held the reins of New York, yet, couldn’t catch hold of Juan Soto. The Mets offered a whopping $765 million deal to Soto, swaying him away. Soto was introduced to City Field last Thursday, and finally, he posted on Instagram about this new phase of his life, which garnered a comment from David Ortiz. But it wasn’t a remark just for Soto; Ortiz was mocking the New York Yankees!

David Ortiz trolls New York Yankees

On Monday, Soto shared on his Instagram a picture of himself in Mets attire, complete with a hat and jersey. The image was captioned “A new chapter begins,” with baseball and arm-flexing emojis. But well, David Ortiz cared more about trolling the Yankees, adding in his little spin to the famous’ John Sterling’ call when the Yankees won a game. Ortiz commented, “The Yankees lose 😂😂.”

This must be a burn for the New York Yankees. And well, more so coming from Big Papi, given that he was a legend known to torment the Yankees on the field. His heroics in the 2004 ALCS had propelled Boston to get that comeback of ages. In his 243 career games against the Yankees, Ortiz hit .303 with 53 homers; he was even called “Yankee Killer.” 

However, while David Ortiz danced to his favorite tune by tormenting the Yankees, the Bronx team didn’t sit idle after Soto. They have locked in Max Fried for $216 million, trading for Devin Williams and just staying aggressive for Cody Bellinger, too. The Yankees’ message seems clear—their 2009 WS drought won’t remain long with or without Juan Soto.

David Ortiz wanted Juan Soto in the Boston Red Sox

While David Ortiz might be pinching the Yankees, Juan Soto going to the New York Mets sure did pinch him too, given Ortiz has been open about wanting Soto to sign with the Boston Red Sox. Ortiz is Dominican and has been a hero for Soto; so, many thought that the Red Sox did have a chance. Plus, the Boston Red Sox pitched not the money but the history of the team and Dominican players to Soto; still, their plan went to waste.

During the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast, Ortiz revealed, “We wanted him in Boston. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.” Well, Ortiz had promised in his pitch to Soto that if he joined the Red Sox, then he could be his mentor. “If he signs with this organization, which is an amazing organization, he can balance the clubhouse in a way that I did. He’s gonna have Coach Papi in his corner,” Big Papi had mentioned, but Ortiz did end up saying after that loss, “It’s great. It’s well deserved… You guys are going to enjoy Soto for a while here.” 

Well, not only did the Yankees burn, but so did the Red Sox. However, the dust is surely settling, and more so given that many are saying the Yankees dodged a bullet with Juan Soto. Do you think so? Share your take in the comments below.