No, Juan Soto Didn't Leave Yankees Because Of Support For Donald Trump
Juan Soto was officially welcomed to the New York Mets on Thursday. The All-Star slugger signed his 15-year, $765 million contract and answered questions from several reporters in Queens.
Around the same time Soto was introduced to the media, a fake story about him not getting along with players on the New York Yankees surfaced online. It stated that he didn't appreciate how Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe wore Donald Trump gear in the clubhouse during the World Series. The fake story that's going viral says that Soto "found it offensive to Latino-Americans." Naturally, people saw this "report" and started jumping to conclusions.
However, none of this is true. Soto didn't leave the Yankees because of Trump or the presidential election. He simply liked their offer and overall recruiting pitch.
"MAGA Volpe and MAGA Judge scared Soto away," a Yankees fan said.
Another person tweeted, "So Juan Soto literally left the @Yankees because Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe wore a Trump shirt before Game 3 of the World Series. Unbelievable."
Heck, even Fox News contributor Joe Concha fell for this ridiculous story.
"Soto apparently was one of the few people actually offended by a comedian’s joke at a Trump rally, and was also taken aback Judge and Volpe wore Trump gear. Snowflakes usually don’t exist in baseball," Concha said.
Soto was actually asked about his former teammates during Thursday's press conference. He surprisingly revealed that none of them reached out to him when he was a free agent.
"I haven’t talked to any of those guys," Soto said. "We talked to them through the playoffs and end of the playoffs but after that, amidst this process, I haven’t talked to any of those guys."
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 26: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Yankees reacts to his single against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning during Game Two of the 2024 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Yankees captain Aaron Judge told reporters in November that he wanted to give Soto "space" during free agency. Clearly, he was a man of his word.
While Soto's bond with his teammates in the Bronx may not have been that strong, any reports about him getting mad about their support for Trump are false. We're not even sure what Judge and others are thinking from a political standpoint.
