The Juan Soto sweepstakes turned out not to be just a race for the player, but much more. It was about competition, legacy, and who holds the reins of New York. The New York Mets wanted to prove that they were no second fiddle, ensuring that the New York Yankees were not their ‘big brother’. Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees also had much to prove; after all, they are a storied team and one of the richest—with a history of mostly getting star players.

However, despite the odds, the New York Yankees ended up losing the sweepstakes—just like they lost the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes last time. The boggling thing was the difference in their contract offers, which stood at less than 5 million dollars. Yet, 26-year-old Soto chose to go crosstown and chuck the pinstripes; this hurt the team and, of course, their fans. Now, many are calling Soto out on social media; however, actor Chazz Palminteri, a self-proclaimed Yankees fan, thinks all that has happened is for the best.

Chazz Palminteri blasts Mets fans

In a rather bold statement, Chazz Palminteri, famous for his work on ‘A Bronx Tale’, sounded delighted with Soto’s move. Palminteri noted, “I want to thank Brian Cashman, and I want to thank Hal Steinbrenner.” Wondering why? Well, the 72-year-old actor explained that the Yankees did the right thing with Juan Soto’s contract. Worth nearly 800 million dollars, according to Palminteri, the contract was ‘just insanity’. He further mentioned that the Yanks can get four players with that amount—from Corbin Burnes to Alex Bregman, and even Mike Trout!

But that wasn’t all; Palminteri also had a message for the Mets fans. “You’ll never be the big brother. You gotta win first; it’s about winning. You got Soto, but we will be in the World Series way before you,” the actor claimed, backing his vision of the Yankees’ resurgence; he even gave reasons behind this take, one such cause being the Mets’ location. Chazz highlighted how the New York Mets would have to beat the Phillies, the Padres, and the Dodgers; plus, he pointed out that the team is not even better than the Braves.

Palminteri concluded, “Winning is what makes the big brother,” ending the video with a ‘goodbye, little brother’ message. Now, while it does seem like the Yankees are hurt, the team isn’t blinded by this loss, given they are getting on other big player hunts rather quickly.

Is Juan Soto leaving for the Mets not the worst thing for the Yankees?

Chazz Palminteri isn’t the only one appalled by the huge amount on Juan Soto‘s contract; many are joining him, including ‘Mad Dog’ Chris Russo. The popular radio personality is far from thrilled, even mentioning that although Steve Cohen has more money than God to spend on any players he likes, that amount in Soto’s deal is just outlandish. According to Russo, he cannot justify this expense, more so because Juan isn’t that great a player for him—to back this claim, Russo quickly asked everyone to look at Soto’s World Series run.

“I mean $765 million—that’s an outrageous contract to a guy who, again, in 5 years is going to be your designated hitter,” Russo mentioned during his exchange on ESPN, highlighting that from fielding to baserunning, Soto has struggled in the World Series. So, even though Juan Soto hits like no other, he is far from a well-rounded player, as per Chris’ narrative. And that’s where the doubts on whether it was smart for Cohen to spend that amount come up.

Russo further mentioned that maybe it was better that the New York Yankees lost this one, given they can now get pitchers and other components to supplement the team. “I don’t think that’s the worst thing for the Yankees,” mentioned Russo. Even though he was still bamboozled when Soto left the Yankees, Chris Russo figured maybe the bonus and perks, like a suite, swayed the Dominican.

Now, Juan Soto and maybe his agent Scott Boras can tell what went into making that decision. However, it remains to be seen whether Soto can do great even in orange and blue next season. How do you think Soto’s journey with the Mets will look? Let us know in the comments below.