Juan Soto has been the apple of the offseason for quite some time, and now he is officially in a Mets uniform. Fans could not wait for the Dominican player’s decision, and now that it’s here, the Mets are clearly excited, which was evident when they were quick to introduce Soto in their uniform at an introductory press conference at Citi Field. While every major team had their eyes on Soto, even presenting him with lucrative offers, as most analysts predicted, the ball was in Steve Cohen’s basket. The Mets’ owner gave him the biggest contract ever in sports history, and honestly, who in their right mind would say no to that?

Shohei Ohtani did the same in his time—there’s no doubt money played a big factor here. But in Soto’s case, the Mets as a team are also a crucial factor. In the same press conference, reporters asked Juan Soto what led him to choose the Mets. His answer was simple: “What they showed me and how the organization runs things and how they are going to manage things and how they look at the future is one of the things that opened my eyes a little bit more.” The 26-year-old was clearly impressed by the squad’s presentation.

Soto further added, “Definitely, that was one of the things that opened up my eyes more. [Just] how hungry they are to win a championship and to want to make a dynasty.” The Dominican outfielder is a one-of-a-kind generational talent and is here to win championships—he could not win with the Yankees, so the fact that the Mets are so hungry to win is appealing enough for Juan Soto. His thought process aligned with the crew; in the same press conference, the newly minted Mets player also revealed that he hasn’t been in touch with any of the players from his former team.

The Yankees are not in touch with their former player

Juan Soto’s smile faded slowly when reporters asked about his former team. When asked if he still kept in touch with his old Padres teammates, the 26-year-old referred to them as “those guys” and said no. It’s a little sad, especially considering all the time they spent together. But it looks like that connection just wasn’t there for Soto. In stark contrast, take Aaron Judge’s free agency experience. His former teammate Anthony Rizzo used their dogs to set up playdates in an effort to convince him to stay.

Their bond was obviously different, but it does make you wonder why no one on Soto’s former team seemed to go out of their way to keep him around. A player needs to feel wanted, and perhaps the Yankees, for all their efforts with Judge, missed the mark with Soto. There was also talk about an incident where one of Soto’s parents was reportedly removed by a security guard from a designated area at the stadium, which could have left him with a bad impression of the Bronx. It’s these little things that can influence a player’s decision when they’re choosing a team—and it seems that Soto, for whatever reason, didn’t feel the love in New York.

After the press conference video went viral, analyst Andy Martino revealed that Juan Soto wasn’t allowed to speak to players from teams heavily involved in the sweepstakes for his services. That piece of the puzzle makes sense—Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, likely advised him to keep his distance to avoid influencing his decision too early. It’s easy to see how Soto’s feelings about his old team and the way he was treated could play a big role in his decision-making process.