Yankees Rumors: Inside Juan Soto’s Relationship With Steinbrenner, Troubles With Team | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

The little things may have added up for Juan Soto when he decided to leave the New York Yankees and sign with the New York Mets this offseason.

Soto reportedly turned down a $760 million offer from the Bronx Bombers and chose the Mets instead. ESPN’s Buster Olney and Jeff Passan detailed what led to the decision, and one of the factors may have been his good relationship with Yankees officials.

Olney and Passan wrote that chairman Hal Steinbrenner, unlike his late father George, tends to give star players “respectful space.” That might have backfired a bit on Soto.

“Soto indicated to a staff member that he was surprised he didn’t know Hal better, and according to two sources in the meetings, Steinbrenner explained that he didn’t want to overwhelm the player in his first year in New York,” the report said .

There were also a few smaller behind-the-scenes situations involving people from Soto’s camp.

According to Olney and Passan, Soto’s father once tried to enter the clubhouse before a game to bring his son some food.

“But he was turned away, in a routine enforcement of rules put in place by MLB after the steroid era; in some cases, personal trainers and some family members were found to have served as PED mules,” they reported.

In another case, a driver driving Soto to take him home was turned away when he tried to get into a parking lot before the end of a Yankees game.

The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman also previously reported that one point of contention for Soto was that a suite was reserved for his family and paid for by the team. The Yankees balked after failing to honor the request of other stars like Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge.

In every sport, being a generational talent brings with it special privileges. Olney and Passan reported that the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres showed Soto and his family “more respect” when he played for them.

However, the Yankees still pride themselves on upholding some of their strict standards. The most obvious example is the ban on long hair and beards.

For a long time, the franchise was able to rely on its history, its success on the field and its home market to attract stars despite rules that were considered arcane or unnecessary. If you wanted to play on a World Series contender, you’d make a lot of money, And If you call New York home, you’ve signed with the Yankees.

Thanks to the generous nature of team owner Steve Cohen, the Mets have become a viable alternative for elite talent yearning to play in the Big Apple.

It will be fascinating to see if the Yankees adapt now that the advantage they once possessed is gone.