Juan Soto's secret grudge against the Yankees that angered him enough to the Mets

The Juan Soto sweepstakes has ended, as the New York Mets won the race for the coveted free-agent slugger after tabling a 15-year, $765 million offer that includes an opt-out after the first five seasons. The contract is not only the largest in MLB history -- it is the largest in the history of professional sports.

But was it all about the money for Soto? While the Mets are considered a team on the rise following a surprising 2024 season, the Yankees' crosstown rivals have a reputation for being inept and playing below expectation. Yet, after splashing the cash on Soto, all things seem possible for a franchise that has been routinely mocked -- including suring the Yankees as New York's favorite team.

Soto's clashes with Yankees security revealed

By most s, Soto was happy to play for the Yankees in 2024 following his trade from the San Diego Padres last winter. But now that he has left the Bronx for the borough of Queens, it has been claimed that Soto's anger with Yankees security proved pivotal once he hit the market after the World Series.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Soto was upset during his first months in the Yankees clubhouse after an "overzealous" security guard barred one of Soto's family -- as well as the slugger's chef/driver -- from "certain areas" at Yankee Stadium. The Mets were reportedly aware of this, and team owner Steve Cohen capitalized; Cohen explained to Soto's camp that logistics and "family perks" would not be an issue for him at Citi Field, the Mets' 15-year-old home stadium.

And so, Soto is a Met, a g that transforms the MLB landscape and especially that of the National League, where the Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers -- another team that pursued Soto -- could be the class of the NL for the remainder of the decade. At just 26 years old, Soto -- who has already hit 201 career home runs, including a career-best 41 last year -- likely has his best years still ahead of him, and he will form part of a dangerous duo alongside star shortstop Francisco Lindor atop the Mets' lineup in the seasons to come.