Gio: Don't overcomplicate it, Juan Soto chose Mets over Yankees because they paid him more

Juan Soto is a New York Met, and as fans in Queens celebrate the monumental night in their team's history, Yankee fans wonder how a superstar in his prime would pick the Mets over their team, which is armed with the richest history and most recognizable brand in perhaps all of sports, and is coming off a World Series appearance.

For Gio, the answer is simple: Money.

"This guy was gonna take ever last penny," Gio said. "We said it for months, and he did.

"Do I want to believe that he was all in on the Mets program and was like 'Yeah, I ant t be a Met. David Stearns is the best and Francisco Lindor is the best and this is the best team out there.' I want to believe that and maybe that was some part of the thought process. But you can't convince me that if the Yankees matched that deal, he would have gone to the Mets."

At first glance, the reported offers from both teams were nearly negligible, as the Yanks reportedly offered Soto a 16-year deal worth $760 million, while the Mets came in with a 15-year offer worth $765 million. But the Mets offer included a clause where Soto could opt out after five years, and if he did, the Mets could void it by increasing his AAV to $55 million a year for the rest of his contract, taking the total value north of $800 million.

Gio says that was the true selling point, and there is no need to try and complicate it in any other way.

"Steve Cohen was gonna offer the most money," Gio said. "We all knew that, and he ended up taking it.

"Yeah, he'd rather be a Met because they paid him more."