Just a few days ago, the topic of discussion was: Where will Juan Soto go? But then, in a stunning twist, the 26-year-old slugger chose the New York Mets, and suddenly, the conversation shifted to: How did he land the largest contract in sports history? Soto didn’t just break a record; he took the mantle from Shohei Ohtani, with a $765 million contract, no deferrals, and a ton of perks. Soto’s deal comes with luxury that feels more like royalty than baseball: a family suite at Citi Field for those memorable game days. Check. personal security? Check.

And the cherry on top: bonuses for winning awards. So, if Soto adds another MVP or World Series ring to his resume, he’ll be making even more cash. Now, the topic of discussion has changed to the behavioral aspects of the Dominican player, as one Yankees insider pointed out in a recent episode of Yankees Unloaded. Randy Miller of NJ.com joined Jake Ellenbogen and Gary Sheffield Jr. to discuss Juan Soto, where Miller said, “I greatly admire this guy’s hitting ability. One of the top hitters I’ve ever seen. I’ve covered baseball since 1996. He is not one of the best players I have ever seen. Judge is so much better. The guy is not a leader.”

He further added that it was interesting to see Juan Soto in the clubhouse, and he was almost like a “loner.” “I know in the batting cage he spoke to Judge, and they had a great amount of respect for each other. But I quizzed Soto after game 5 if he would come back to the Yankees. And he would just not answer,” Miller added. The insider also emphasized that at that moment, he knew that the outfielder was going to go to the highest bidder.

While the Yankees also had some idea that the Dominican player was going to go with the highest bidder, what they did not know was that his price would go so high. The pinstripes and Hal Steinbrenner did everything they could to bring their star player back but ultimately lost; the main reason behind this being the suite clause, as speculated.

Perks and add-ons sealed the deal

The general manager of the Yanks, Brian Cashman, recently explained why the team didn’t offer a family suite in their contract proposal to Juan Soto. Cashman, speaking at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, didn’t seem too fazed by the loss. “Some high-end players that make a lot of money for us, if they want suites, they buy them for their family or Legends seats or whatever,” Cashman said, referencing the fact that the Yankees have made similar offers to their star players.

“Whether it’s CC [Sabathia], whether it’s Judge, whether it’s [Gerrit] Cole, whether it’s any of these guys.” In other words, Cashman isn’t losing sleep over not including a suite in Soto’s deal. The Yankees‘ philosophy? If you’re making a ton of money, you can spend it on the extras yourself. As for the Mets, well, they apparently decided to add that little extra touch of luxury. Steve Cohen did not even blink twice when he added all those luxuries to Soto’s contract.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post said that the Mets’ offer was slightly ahead in terms of overall value, but it was the small perks that may have made all the difference. “The combination of perks that included a signing bonus of $75M (the Yankees offered $60M), escalators that can take the deal to $805 million, a no-trade clause, no deferrals (the Yankees also had none), the fifth-year opt-out (at age 30), and a suite for the Soto family probably helped push them over the finish line.”

So maybe it’s a “suite” deal, after all; what do you think? Share in the comments below.