In exchange for Brett Baty of the Mets giving up the number 22, Juan Soto gifted him a fantastic present of $92,000. The $765 million contract Juan Soto signed stipulated that he would wear number 22 for the Mets. Brett Baty, who wore the number prior to Soto, is not leaving without anything, though.
Soto has worn number 22 throughout his big league career. He inked a 15-year contract with the Mets in December. That was his number with the San Diego Padres (2022–23), Washington Nationals (2018–22), and the New York Yankees the previous season. Soto smiled and assured reporters, “You are going to see it,” when they asked him earlier this week if he had made any significant purchases since receiving his deal. According to Soto, he purchased the car for $92,000.
Met’s Brett Baty Receives New SUV from Teammate Juan Soto for giving up No. 22
This offseason, Juan Soto signed a record $765 million contract with the New York Mets, which allowed him to wear the No. 22 jersey he had always wanted. After wearing that number for the previous three seasons, Brett Baty received a brand-new SUV during spring training. On Thursday, the Mets shared a video of Soto standing next to a black Chevrolet Tahoe before handing the keys to Baty, a 25-year-old third baseman who played 169 games for New York wearing the number 22.
Following the team’s acquisition of Soto, Baty moved to No. 7. Baty grinned broadly as he saw Soto close to the car with the words “Thanks for #22” written on the rear window of the team’s spring training facility. “No, you didn’t,” Baty answered. Still driving the same 2016 Toyota 4Runner he drove in high school, Baty was selected by the Mets with the 12th overall choice in the 2019 draft. “Thank you very much for the number,” Soto said to him. “I wore it for the first time.”
Juan Soto did not forget to express gratitude to Brett Baty
As shown in a post on the Mets’ official Instagram page, Soto gave the infielder a black Chevy Tahoe and it costs $92,000.
When Baty arrived at the parking lot, Soto was driving the car while wearing his entire home outfit.
Baty said to Soto, “No, you didn’t,” “My boy!”
Soto gave the keys to Baty after the two hugged one other.
In addition to the words “Thanks for the number 22,” painted on the back windshield, there was a huge red bow on the hood.
“Man, this is nuts,” Baty remarked.
Soto said, “I wanted to offer you something pleasant.”
At his first news conference at Citi Field in December, Soto, who has worn the number 22 throughout his career, gave an explanation of his decision to wear it. Soto had a gold necklace with the number 22 on it at the moment. He said, 22 is the first number I had when I got to the major leagues and it was significant to me. I was thrilled and thrilled when the Nationals awarded me the number. I am more than pleased to continue wearing that number since it was the first one I wore.
Juan Soto Buys $92K SUV For Brett Baty
After winning the bidding battle, Juan Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, making it the team’s greatest offseason signing. Later, Brett Baty consented to give up the No. 22 jersey. The SUV his new buddy surprised Soto with during spring training gave the third baseman something in exchange for his career-long dominance.
Although a player’s performance may not be affected by their jersey number, many professional athletes have a personal connection to the one they wear. While this is not the case for everyone, many men choose their numbers on purpose to honor an inspiration or to hold emotional meaning.
An embarrassing scenario may arise if a player joins a new squad when their desired number has already been claimed. While it is common for athletes who want to stick with their team to just pay their teammate to give them the number, there have been some less obvious deals.
Juan Soto, who has worn number 22 since joining the Nationals in 2018 for his Major League Baseball debut. The superstar performed the same during his brief stay with the Yankees the previous season, but he ran into a minor problem when the Mets offered him the largest deal in sports history, owing to Brett Baty, the third baseman who had been wearing it. It did not take long for Baty to announce that he would be trading it in for No. 7, and although it was reasonable to presume that he had been paid, neither he nor Soto provided any explanation for their agreement.
Soto did, however, formally honor Baty on Thursday when he showed him the brand-new SUV that was waiting for him outside the Mets’ Port St. Lucie spring training complex. The SUV in issue is a 2025 Chevy Tahoe, which begins at $67,000 but can reach over $80,000 if you want to add all the extras, which Soto most likely did given that the second figure represents 0.0001% of the money he would receive from his new deal.