Mets’ Juan Soto swaps SUV with Brett Baty for jersey number
After securing the richest contract in professional sports history — a 15-year, $765 million deal — Juan Soto is putting his money into continuing his legacy and taking care of his teammates.
Soto, who’s worn No. 22 his entire career, had a dilemma on how to acquire the jersey number with Mets third baseman Brett Baty, who wore the number prior to Soto’s arrival in Queens.
The two reached an agreement that had Baty driving off a happy Met.
On Thursday morning, Soto greeted Baty outside of the Mets spring training facility with a blacked-out Chevrolet Tahoe.
Soto, who met Baty in his white Mets uniform, had a special message written on the back windshield of the vehicle for the third baseman: “Thanks for #22.”
“I really appreciate the number,” Soto told Baty. “It’s the first one I ever wore.”
Before Soto’s arrival to the Mets, Baty wore the number. He has since changed his jersey number to No. 7, reflecting his fandom of shortstop Jose Reyes and former Minnesota Twins first baseman Joe Mauer.
Soto spent the 2024 season with the New York Yankees. In the Bronx, he had a .288 batting average, hit 41 homers — the fourth-best in the league — and tied for sixth in the majors in RBIs with 109.
Hurricane Milton wrecked the Tampa Bay Rays’ ballpark last fall, leaving them without a stadium. For this season, they will play their home games in the Yankees’ spring training facility, which has a capacity in the range of 11,000 fans.
And yet the Rays have outspent the Chicago Cubs in free agency this winter.
Which says so much more about the conduct of the big-market Cubs than about the Rays. Last week, the Cubs were outbid by multiple teams for the services of All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman, and the question that should hang over the franchise is: why? Why aren’t the Cubs spending more?
Owner Tom Ricketts provided no answers last week when he briefly stopped by camp in Arizona, told the players that it was a privilege to play for his organization (according to manager Craig Counsell) and then left without speaking to reporters. Jed Hoyer, the team’s head of baseball operations, cited the club’s budget when asked about the Bregman bidding. The Cubs dangled a four-year, $115 million deal that left them outbid significantly by the Tigers and Astros, and Bregman chose a three-year deal with the Red Sox, partly to give himself the option of testing the market again next fall since the deal includes two opt-outs.
Nothing about the Cubs’ offer could’ve given them a legitimate shot at landing a player who would’ve been a perfect fit. The Tigers offered the most total dollars on the table; the Astros offered a chance for Bregman to continue his Houston legacy, without being tapped for state taxes. The Red Sox deal offered the highest average annual salary with contractual flexibility. It was as if the Cubs wanted Bregman to play for less money and the privilege of being part of their organization.
But it’s hard to see that being appealing enough to convince someone like Bregman, who has played in the postseason in every year of his career and aims to continue that tradition. Despite the fact that the Cubs are playing in baseball’s land of opportunity, the incredibly weak NL Central, they’ve given no indication that winning is actually a priority. Making money seems to be the modus operandi.
This all comes at the end of a winter in which Ricketts already made headlines for his comments about the Cubs’ inability to keep up with the sport’s top payrolls when he told 670 AM in Chicago that “it’s really hard to compete” with the Dodgers. In that January interview, he said that fans “think somehow we have all these dollars that the Dodgers have or the Mets have or the Yankees have and we just keep it. Which isn’t true at all. What happens is we try to break even every year, and that’s about it.”
But that doesn’t really align with the available numbers from Sportico’s MLB team values rankings. The Cubs’ franchise value, as assessed by Sportico, was at $5.3 billion as of last season. That’s the fourth highest in Major League Baseball, and more than three times greater than the combined value of the Brewers ($1.6 billion), Reds ($1.5 billion) and Pirates ($1.4 billion). The Cubs’ revenue generated last season, as estimated by Sportico, was at $502 million, the fourth highest in the majors, behind the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox.
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With the draw of Wrigley Field, the Cubs’ ability to generate income is Teflon-coated, especially compared to other teams that didn’t spend much this winter. The Rays’ situation is fragile; it’s really tough for fans to get to and from the Marlins’ park; and even Cardinals’ fans have vacated their park in recent years because of the team’s lackluster play. But even in the worst years, the Cubs draw. It’s one benefit of playing in the third-largest market in the nation.
And yet the Cubs’ payroll will be significantly lower than last year. Per Sportico, the Cubs are in line to spend $186 million in player salary, or nearly $30 million less than last year.
Sure, the Cubs traded for All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker from the Astros — for one year, perhaps, because Tucker will be a free agent in the fall — but the front office seemingly had to move Cody Bellinger and his $27.5 million salary to make that happen. Tucker will make $16.5 million.
The Cubs swapped for Ryan Pressly, after the Astros agreed to pay down some of his salary. Colin Rea was signed for $5 million. And the Cubs signed Matthew Boyd to a two-year, $29 million deal.
The storm-ravaged Rays? They landed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim for $29 million over two years and signed catcher Danny Jansen to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. With those two contracts, Tampa Bay spent more in free agency than the Cubs.
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Yes, the Cubs’ overall payroll currently sits just above $185 million compared to $72 million for the Rays, but in a crucial offseason for the franchise, Chicago has elected to spend like its small-market counterparts. And, yes, the Cubs do have reason for hope in 2025, but also likely not enough star talent to stand toe to toe with the National League’s best.
The defense is excellent — Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner are exceptional up the middle, and the outfield of Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Tucker will probably be the best in the majors. A signing of Bregman would’ve given the Cubs another lockdown defender, another Gold Glove contender feeding into a distinct style. The Dodgers might have the most prolific offense; the Phillies have a great group of veterans; Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider will be back for the Braves; the Mets added Juan Soto — but with a high-end third baseman, the Cubs could have been the best run prevention team in baseball, which often translates well in the postseason. And Bregman would’ve improved an offense that was so inconsistent last year.
Instead, the financially mighty Cubs chose to effectively stand down in the bidding for Bregman, content to fall somewhere in the range of 12th to 14th among the 30 teams in their payroll size, and they have a roster that feels unequipped to take on the teams that were willing to spend.
Ricketts can rightly expect the best effort from his players. But sadly, he has not reciprocated. The Cubs players — the Cubs fans — deserve better.
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Soto surprises Baty with a new car in exchange for his uni number
Anthony DiComo
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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Asked earlier this week if he’d made any significant purchases with his new $765 million contract, Mets outfielder Juan Soto grinned.
“Not yet,” Soto said. “I’m waiting. You’re going to see it.”
Days later, Brett Baty walked out of the clubhouse to find a brand-new SUV parked for him in the players’ lot. Soto purchased it as thanks for Baty giving up uniform No. 22.
“I really appreciate the number,” Soto told Baty in a video the Mets posted to Instagram. “It’s the first one I ever wore.”
Soto has indeed only worn No. 22 throughout his seven-year Major League career. Baty switched to No. 7 shortly after Soto signed, in part because he grew up a fan of José Reyes and Joe Mauer.
Baty said recently that Soto texted him and the two “got everything worked out.”
“I’m happy he’s the one,” Baty said. “Out of anyone in the league, like, the best hitter in the league? I’d love for him to wear that number.”
Senior Reporter Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007.
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Juan Soto has worn No. 22 since breaking into the big leagues with the Washington Nationals in 2018. So when he signed his $765 million deal with the New York Mets in the offseason, there remained one obstacle in his way to keep the number.
Enter Brett Baty.
Baty, a 25-year-old third baseman who has played parts of three seasons with the Mets, wore No. 22 since he was called up in 2022. After a January conversation with Soto, the team’s 2019 first-round pick decided to give up his number, but not without getting something in return.
On Thursday, Soto delivered a brand-new SUV for Baty and presented it to him outside the team’s Spring Training facility.
Juan Soto got Brett Baty a car after Baty gave up No. 22 in the offseason 🚗
(via @Mets/IG) pic.twitter.com/ID1MeooqWv
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 20, 2025
Baty told reporters on Thursday that he had been driving a 2016 Toyota 4 Runner, a car he’s had since high school, even after he made the Mets. After some detective work through teammates, Soto said he made sure that Baty got the “car of his dreams,”
Needing a new number for 2025, Baty is changing to No. 7 this season, in honor of José Reyes and Joe Mauer, two players he admired growing up.
“It’s amazing, just for him to be able to think to do something like that, I couldn’t be more grateful,” Baty said. “I’m just really excited that he’s on our team and I get to learn from him.”
This trade follows last year’s campaign by former Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly’s wife, Ashley, who offered Shohei Ohtani her husband’s No. 17 if he signed with the team. Once he did, Ohtani delivered a new Porsche.
Spring training is the time for players to ramp up to the start of the MLB season, and it’s a time for those of us watching to take stock of the MLB landscape. To that end, some players make for more interesting spring training characters than others, whether because they’re new on the scene, they’re returning from injury or they’re projected to break out in 2025.
With that in mind, here are six players I’m particularly excited to see this spring.
The Nationals have been all about development since they traded away Juan Soto in July 2022. And after rebuilding for the better part of three seasons, the organization might be turning the corner heading into 2025, and a big part of that is the rise of outfielder James Wood.
Wood, 21, was one of the centerpieces of the Soto deal, and after several seasons as the team’s top prospect and one of the best in baseball, he finally got his opportunity to show the city of D.C. what he can do after debuting with the Nats on July 1, 2024. The D.C.-area native performed well in 79 games with the Nationals, recording a .264/.354/.427 slash line with 13 doubles, four triples, nine homers and 14 stolen bases.
On the baseball field, there is simply nothing that Wood can’t do, and he showed last season that the moment isn’t too big for him, either. If things continue to trend in the right direction for him, you’re looking at one of MLB’s breakout stars in 2025.
No Alex Bregman, no problem. At least, that’s what the Chicago Cubs are hoping to say with the organization’s No. 1 prospect, Matt Shaw, getting the inside track to be the team’s third baseman come Opening Day. The team has stated that Shaw, the 13th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, will get the first opportunity to be the team’s every-day third baseman, and if he succeeds, that could mean big things for Chicago’s lineup.
Since entering the Cubs’ system two summers ago, Shaw has hit well in the minor leagues, carrying a .284/.379/.488 slash line with 21 homers across two levels. Besides the addition of Kyle Tucker, he is the biggest story in Cubs’ camp this spring.
No player on the 2023 Reds was better than Matt McLain. He did it all: He can hit, he can defend, he can run the bases. That season, McLain carried a .864 OPS with 16 homers, finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting and making the outlook for 2024 even better in Cincinnati.
Then shoulder surgery forced McLain to miss the entire 2024 season, and the rest of the Reds roster struggled in his absence, leading to a disappointing season. But now the former first-round pick is healthy and ready to show that he’s still an integral part of the Reds’ success.
What makes McLain’s return to the Reds’ lineup so intriguing is that he gives the team two incredibly dynamic players, along with Elly De La Cruz. All their youth, athleticism and talent could go a long way in getting the Reds back to October.
From the time he took the stage at the World Baseball Classic, Roki Sasaki has captured the attention of Major League Baseball. Besides Juan Soto, the 23-year-old right-hander was the crown jewel of this year’s free-agent cycle before landing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. And now Sasaki has entered into a perfect situation in L.A. Given some of the other names the Dodgers have acquired to fill out the rotation ahead of him, the Japanese star won’t have to shoulder the load like he would have if he’d landed with another team.
The scene from Roki Sasaki’s live BP at Dodgers camp 📸 @CespedesBBQ pic.twitter.com/vB7SJhtwTz
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 19, 2025
With Sasaki, the stuff is nasty, and it shouldn’t be long before we see him baffling hitters in the big leagues. The biggest question with the young Japanese star will be his durability in making the transition to MLB. The fireballer has dealt with some injuries over the past few years and has never pitched more than 129 innings in a season in his career. How the Dodgers manage his workload will be a storyline to watch this season.
There’s no question that when Sandy Alcántara is healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in MLB. And now fully healthy after missing the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the veteran right-hander has an opportunity to remind the baseball world exactly how good he is.
While he had some struggles prior to tearing his UCL in September 2023, Alcántara was just a year removed from one of the better seasons by a starting pitcher in recent memory. In 2022, he was not only an ace who could strike hitters out, logging a 2.28 ERA with 207 strikeouts, but he was also a workhorse, compiling an MLB-leading 228⅔ innings.
If Alcántara can stay healthy and return to his Cy Young form in the first half of 2025, he will easily be the best starting pitcher available at this year‘s trade deadline and could be a key factor for a contender down the stretch.
It wasn’t that long ago that Mike Trout was the best baseball player on the planet. But as the injuries have piled up, that label no longer falls on his shoulders. Trout is still a very good baseball player when he’s on the field, but that last part — keeping Trout on the field — is the key at this stage of his career. The three-time MVP hasn’t played 130 games in a season since 2019. All of the time he has missed due to injury has unfortunately cut short one of the best careers we’ve ever seen.
This year, Trout, 33, is moving to right field — a change he and the Angels are making in hopes of keeping the superstar outfielder healthy for the duration of the season. If he’s able to play in 120-plus games this year, it’s not difficult to imagine Trout rediscovering his MVP form.
