The brand new child on the town, Juan Soto, has worn No. 22 since his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals in 2018, and regardless of signing a historic $765 million cope with the New York Mets, there was one small hurdle—Brett Baty already had the quantity.
Moderately than drive the problem, Soto and Baty had a dialog in January, and the 25-year-old third baseman agreed to surrender the jersey quantity he had worn since his MLB debut in 2022. However Soto made certain Baty was effectively compensated for the gesture.
On Thursday, exterior the Mets’ spring coaching facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Soto shocked Baty with a brand-new Chevrolet Tahoe, a car valued at $92,000.
Baty admitted that he had been driving the identical 2016 Toyota 4Runner since highschool, a automotive with roughly 150,000 miles on it. His teammate Mark Vientos had typically teased him about upgrading, and Mets touring secretary Edgar Suero had subtly requested about his automotive insurance coverage info earlier within the week, tipping Baty off that one thing may be within the works.
Juan Soto with an especially considerate gesture to his new Mets teammate
Soto went the additional mile to make sure Baty obtained the “automotive of his desires.”
“For me, it’s not concerning the automotive or something,” Soto mentioned. “It’s one thing that’s going to make him joyful. And at any time when he sees it, he’ll inform himself that it was value giving up No. 22.”
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Soto additionally acknowledged that not all gamers could be keen to surrender a jersey quantity, which made Baty’s willingness to take action much more significant.
“Some guys don’t like to present away their numbers,” Soto added. “However he really had no excuses or something—he simply gave it away for me. I’m simply grateful for that.”
Whereas Baty fortunately accepted the SUV, he additionally revealed that his new jersey quantity—No. 7—holds particular significance. He selected it to honor José Reyes and Joe Mauer, two gamers he admired whereas rising up.
“It’s wonderful, only for [Soto] to have the ability to assume to do one thing like that. I couldn’t be extra grateful,” Baty mentioned. “I’m simply actually excited that he’s on our staff and that I get to study from him—among the finest hitters within the recreation.”
Soto’s present continues a rising development of gamers exchanging luxurious gadgets for jersey numbers. Final 12 months, Shohei Ohtani gifted former Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly a Porsche after taking No. 17. Equally, Francisco Lindor gave teammate Jeff McNeil a Ford Bronco after McNeil received the 2022 Nationwide League batting title. Now, Baty will take the sector in No. 7, whereas Soto continues his profession in No. 22, all whereas driving in model due to his new famous person teammate.