Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton Gives 3-Word Message on Juan Soto Signing With Mets

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton needed three words to convey his sentiment about Juan Soto's free agency decision.
Grant Young|
Oct 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) celebrates a three run home run with outfielder Juan Soto (22) in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game four of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) celebrates a three run home run with outfielder Juan Soto (22) in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game four of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

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It seems like just about everybody within the baseball community has offered their take on Juan Soto declining the New York Yankees' 16-year, $760 million contract offer this offseason and electing to sign a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets instead.

However, there hasn't been much said from Soto's former Yankees teammates. All that has been heard regarding these teammates since Soto's signing was him confirming that he hasn't been in contact with any of them since the World Series ended, which was supposedly a byproduct of him changing phone numbers.

One would have to imagine that nobody knows better than Soto's former teammates how valuable he was to their team in 2024. They witnessed his greatness on the field firsthand while also interacting with him in the clubhouse daily, and are therefore privy to his off-field impact.

Regardless of Soto's importance, the bottom line is that the Yankees now need to move forward. And slugger Giancarlo Stanton conveyed as much when speaking with a young fan recently.

Bleacher Report's TikTok account posted a December 17 video of Stanton hanging out with fans. At one point, a kid says to him, "Are you sad that Soto is on the Mets? Are you sad?"

"You'd wish he was with us. Are you sad?" Stanton replied.

When the kid looked down and nodded, Stanton said, "We'll be alright. We'll be alright."

Stanton is clearly still confident in his squad, despite Soto's departure. And given all the money New York now has to sign other superstars they had previously allocated toward signing Soto, perhaps his decision will become a blessing in disguise.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee. You can follow him on X: @GrvntYoung

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