Juan Soto points to emphasis on 'family,' team's future as reasons why he chose Mets

Juan Soto made it clear at his introductory press conference on Thursday that he was sold on the Mets by their sense of "family" and the vision they have for the franchise's future.

"The city of New York is always welcoming you, making your family feel great," Soto said. "It's a lot to do with that. What they do in here is one of the biggest things for me. When I look at my family, I think they're gonna have the best time...they always talk about family and sticking together. That's one of the things that opened my eyes, on the side of my family.

"It really impressed me what they said they can do for my family."

Soto clearly prioritized family when making his decision, as was made apparent by the more than 20 reserved seats for Soto's family at Thursday's press conference. But the superstar, who already has a World Series title under his belt, wants to win a whole lot more, and even after reaching the World Series with the Yankees just months ago, he looked across town and believed that the Mets had the pieces in place to build a sustained winner, especially after watching what the 2024 team did in its improbable NLCS run.

"The Mets are a great organization, and what they have done in the past couple years, showing the ability to keep winning and growing, to try and grow a dynasty, is one of the most important things," Soto said. "What you were seeing from the other side was unbelievable...the future this team has, it had a lot to do with my decision."

Steve Cohen had a lot to do with Soto's decision as well, as Soto bought into the owner's vision, his personal approach to the recruitment of Soto, and ultimately, his vision to building a dynasty in Queens.

"They showed me how the organization runs things, how they're gonna manage things, and how they view their future," Soto said. "It opened my eyes a little more, what they were constructing to take all the way to 15 years - 20 years, you never know - that's what opened my eyes more, how hungry they are to win a championship and build a dynasty with the Mets."