Ever since Juan Soto walked out of Yankee Stadium the night The Bronx Bombers were eliminated by the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series on Oct. 30, he has not spoken to any of his Yankees teammates.
Asked during his introductory press conference at Citi Field Thursday afternoon if he has spoken to any of his now former teammates, Soto said he has not been in touch with them.
“I haven’t talked to any of those guys,” Soto said. “We talked to them through the playoffs, end of the playoffs, but after that [in this] process, I haven’t talked to any of those guys.”
Soto did say he would speak with MVP Aaron Judge at some point.
“Yeah, why not? Definitely, at the end of the day, we’re still friends. We’re still cool,” he said. “Everything that happens is just business, but the relationship we created last year is gonna stay there forever.”
Judge said three weeks ago that he had not reached out to Soto, preferring to leave him alone during the free agency process.
“I think the best thing is to give those guys space,” Judge said at the time. “I talked to him all season. He knows how we feel about him. The most important thing is to let him do his thing … and come to the right decision for him and his family.”
Soto was officially unveiled as the Mets’ newest superstar on Thursday after signing a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract that can jump to $805 million if the Mets void a potential Soto opt-out after Year 5.
The contract includes a $75 million signing bonus.
The Yankees, who acquired Soto from the Padres last offseason, offered him a 16-year, $760 million contract with a $60 million signing bonus.