As happy as New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was to see Juan Soto, he did not particularly like what he was wearing.
“I told him he looked terrible in that uniform,” Boone said ahead of his side’s spring training matchup with the Mets on Monday (h/t SNY). “It’s good to see him. Obviously, Juan was great for us. Just as important, he’s a great guy in our room, in our clubhouse. Honestly, it was really good to see him and just catch up for a minute. But yeah, I thought he looked terrible in those colors.”
It was the first time that the two had seen each other since Soto jumped ship from the Yankees to join the Mets on a historic 15-year, $765 million contract over the winter. In Soto’s lone season in the Bronx after being acquired from the San Diego Padres, he finished third in the American League MVP voting, hitting 41 home runs with 109 RBI and a .989 OPS.
As a part of a fearsome duo with AL MVP Aaron Judge, Soto helped lead the Yankees to their first American League pennant since 2009, which featured his ALCS-clinching home run in Game 4 against the Cleveland Guardians.
“He’s an example. You watch his routine, process, and work ethic; he walked the walk,” Boone said. “When you’re a great player, and you walk the walk, people take notice and pay attention. That’s who he was for us.”
Monday’s meaning carried particularly low stakes and tensions, considering this was the Mets’ spring training finale and the Yankees’ penultimate exhibition affair. The next time they see each other, things will feel a bit more testy as Soto makes his Yankee Stadium return on May 16.
