Burning his jerseys, calling him a sellout, and calling his new home trash, is how some Yankees fans reacted to Juan Soto’s move to the Mets. Safe to say his blockbuster, but controversial move across the town didn’t go down well with the followers of his previous employers. If this wasn’t enough, Soto rubbed salt in their wounds by praising his new team after penning the largest contract in professional sports history.

The Yankees reportedly had made a 16-year, $760 million offer to keep Soto, who was also being chased by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox. But he opted to accept the Mets’ offer of a 15-year, $765 million contract to start a new chapter in his MLB career.

The New York Mets unveiled Soto on Thursday at Citi Field and the 26-year-old wasted no time in endearing himself to his new fans. “I see all the ability to grow a team, grow a dynasty, is one of the most important things. What you were seeing from the other side was unbelievable. The future that this team has, has a lot to do with my decision.” Soto said at the introductory press conference. While this seemed harmless, but then he remarked, “It’s been in a Mets town for a long time, so I think we just gotta bring it to the top.”

Naturally, this didn’t go down well with the fans from the other side of the town. NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, who is from Brooklyn, and has been a Yankee fan through and through for decades didn’t take kindly to these words and responded sharply on his show.

“This one got me…What is he talking about? Juan, I’ve been around New York City for 55 years. He’s been around for the proverbial New York minute. Dude, get out of here. Get out of here with that noise. It is just like here in Los Angeles. Clipper town? Get out of here. It’s a Mets town? Yeah, in your head. He just lived the Yankee life for a year,” he said on his eponymous show.

Yankees have won 27 World Series titles with their first one coming in 1923 and the latest in 2009. Mets, on the other hand, have two World Series- in 1969 and 1986. The Yankees also lead the all-time series record between the two teams 80-66. Hence, you can understand why Eisen was left aghast at Soto’s comments.

He further added, “Guess what? For 100 years, there have been championships from the Yankees. The Mets have 1969 and 1986. Get out of here … That I will not continence.”

It’s true the Yankees have dominated the head-to-head clashes and hold more World Series titles, but the Mets have won the last four games between the teams. Steve Cohen, the billionaire owner of the Mets is ambitious and isn’t hesitant to spend big sums to bring success to the Mets.

Eisen couldn’t help but also bring up the subject of the New York Mets and their deep pockets, joking about their “Spalding approach,” where players demand millions of dollars in contracts, free suites, and maybe even a hamburger on the side. Soto’s move to the Mets was also confusing given how the Yankees’ offer was only $5 million short of what the Mets came up with.

However, his agreed-upon $51 million annual average value is $3.5 million more than what it could’ve been with the Yankees, which may have tilted the deal in the Mets’ favor. There was another personal factor that played a role.

Soto requested a paid suite for his family at the ballpark and Cohen was happy to comply with the request. The Yankees reportedly didn’t agree on the paid suite request for Soto at Yankee Stadium.

​​”I feel like they did everything that they had in their power to help me out, to bring me back,” Soto said of the Yankees. “But I had four other teams doing the same thing and trying to make me feel comfortable. And at the end of the day we look at everything, we look at the chances and we look at what other teams wanted to do, and what everybody wants to do for the next 15 years, and I think we have the best chances over here.”

Last season, Soto was the second-highest run-scorer (128) of any player in the league, with only three players hitting more home runs than him. Soto batted .288 last season for the Yankees with 41 home runs, 109 runs batted in, and 129 walks. His batting average in the MLB stands at 0.288 – the 16th highest.

It’s clear that Soto is a major coup for the Mets, but what was there more to his departure from the Bronx Bombers?

Juan Soto not feeling Aaron Judge—truth or cap?

The major confusion most have with Soto’s New York Yankee departure is exactly why he did it. It’s hard to think that just some millions would be the reason he left the storied franchise. Now it’s been long talked about that Juan Soto and Aaron Judge didn’t have a great history. Stephen A. Smith confirmed just a few days back: “I’ve heard that Juan Soto wasn’t really feeling Aaron Judge. I don’t know the particulars. I don’t cover the team. But that’s what I heard from people in the Dominican community that I know personally.”

Plus, given Judge mentioned he is just giving Soto space to make his own decision, it paints a picture that all’s not good between them—but is this true?

Well, Juan Soto painted a different picture, one where not only is all well, but also that he is friends with Aaron Judge. In his introductory press conference with the Mets, he revealed that he hasn’t spoken to the Yankee captain or teammates. But Soto clarified that he is friends with Judge still: “At the end of the day, we’re still friends; we’re still cool. It’s just business. The relationship that we created last year is going to stay there forever.”

Judge and Soto have often been compared to Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth and they did amazing—it’s one of the prime reasons Yankee fans aren’t thrilled with losing the prolific duo.

What do you think about Soto’s statements? Let us know in the comments.