Juan Soto's Path to Get No. 22 Mets Jersey from Baty Explained amid MLB CBA Rules

It's a good thing Juan Soto has $765 million coming to his bank account from the New York Mets because that will make it easier for him to get the No. 22 jersey from new teammate Brett Baty if he wants to keep using the number.

Per Christian Arnold of the New York Post, Soto would first need to work out a deal with Baty to be able to wear 22 with the Mets.

Even if that ends up happening, Soto would then need to purchase the existing merchandise inventory with Baty's name and number on it, per a rule in the collective bargaining agreement.

The rule stipulates that player number changes must be requested by July 31 of the previous season, but there are two possible exceptions available. One is the already-listed method of purchasing the remaining inventory.

The other is if the player who previously wore the number changes teams, which doesn't apply in this situation since Baty is still on the Mets.

The situation arose last year when Carlos Santana signed with the Minnesota Twins and had a deal with Joe Ryan to wear No. 41. MLB informed Santana he would have to pay $225,000 to buy out the remaining No. 41 merchandise with Ryan's name on it.

Santana instead decided to wear No. 30 with the Twins rather than pay the amount.

There is always the possibility the Mets could decide to trade Baty. He only appeared in 50 games last season and has hit .215/.282/.325 in 577 plate appearances over 162 games in the past three years.

The Mets do have potential options at third base. Mark Vientos is currently on track to be the starting first baseman with Pete Alonso being a free agent, but he could stay at the hot corner if the team signs someone to play first.

Assuming Baty remains on the Mets, it will be up to Soto to decide if he wants to pay to keep wearing No. 22. The 26-year-old has used the number for his entire MLB career, but he used No. 10 and 25 in the minors with the Washington Nationals.

The No. 25 is currently available for the Mets. Ronny Mauricio wore No. 10 for the team in 2023, but he missed all of last season due to a torn ACL.

Soto has more than enough money to pay for the allotment of Baty jerseys if he really wants to keep his old number. His deal with the Mets could end up topping out at $805 million with escalators. The salary includes a $75 million signing bonus.

Given all of the amenities that Mets owner Steve Cohen gave Soto in his contract—including use of a suite at Citi Field for his family—it seems highly unlikely that anything will prevent him from keeping No. 22 if he wants to keep it.