Juan Soto got a chance to catch up with his former manager and teammates on Monday morning as the Mets were getting set to host the Yankees in their final spring training tune-up before Soto debuts with his new team.
Soto, who spent a memorable season in the Bronx that ended in a pennant and a career year at the plate, shared hugs with Aaron Boone, Marcus Stroman, Oswaldo Cabrera, and others as the Mets took batting practice in Port St. Lucie, and took time to talk with Boone, the two sharing a few laughs in front of the Yankee dugout.
“I told him he looked terrible in that uniform,” Boone joked, via SNY.
“Good to see him. Obviously Juan was great for us, but just as important, he was a great guy in our room and clubhouse. Honestly, it was actually really good to see him and just catch up for a minute.
“But yeah, I thought he looked terrible in those colors.”
Soto moving across town was the story of the MLB offseason, changing the landscape of the power structure in Gotham by signing a record-breaking contract with the Mets. The move left the Yanks with a gaping hole in their lineup, but as Boone told reporters on Monday after his catch-up with Soto, it left a void in leadership, even if Soto wasn’t always the most outspoken leader with the Yanks.
As Boone has maintained throughout the offseason, Soto was an asset in the clubhouse as much as he was on the field, when he swatted 41 home runs and sent the Yanks to their first World Series in 15 years when he hit the game-winning homer in the clinching game of the ALCS.
“He’s an example. You watch his routine and process and work ethic, he walks the walk,” Boone said. “When you're a great player and you walk the walk, people take notice and pay attention. That's who he was for us.”