Juan Soto Reveals the Day He Decided to Leave Yankees and Sign Historic Mets Contract

Juan Soto wasn't sitting on his final decision for any period of time prior to the news breaking of his blockbuster deal with the New York Mets.

In an interview with ESPN's Jeff Passan, the veteran outfielder said he made up his mind on the same day his $765 million contract was reported by Passan and other insiders.

"I was in-between two teams and I was going back and forth until I said, 'Well, this is where we're gonna go,'" Soto said. "But, yeah, that same exact day was the day I said OK, I'm gonna be a Met."

The 26-year-old previously divulged on the Abriendo El Podcast (via Manny Gómez of NJ Advance Media) the Mets didn't make the most lucrative offer. According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Boston Red Sox at the very least were prepared to go higher if they thought it would've meant landing the vaunted slugger.

With Passan, Soto elaborated on his mindset when choosing between his five serious suitors.

"It was a lot of meetings, a lot of back and forth looking at the teams," he said. "What is going to be the best? Who's going to be at the top for the next 15 years? Who's going to be willing to spend money after five, six, seven, 10 years?"

Passan and colleague Buster Olney reported on the Soto sweepstakes back in December. Beyond putting an eye-watering sum on the table, the Mets emphasized the player-first culture they've maintained since Steve Cohen took over as the owner. One such example was affording the Soto family a suite at Citi Field, which was reportedly a bone of contention with the New York Yankees.

Nobody knows for sure how Soto's tenure in Queens will unfold. Fifteen years is a long time.

For now, the four-time All-Star is loving life on his new team.