"Mets are not Yankees, never will be" - Nick Turturro claims Juan Soto's move to Steve Cohen's team is like abandoning Michael Corleone for Fredo
Among those most hurt by Juan Soto's departure from the New York Yankees to the New York Mets on a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal was actor and diehard Yankees fan Nick Turturro. Just hours after the deal was reported, Turturro went on a full-blown rant, not understanding why someone would want to leave the Yankees for the Mets.
However, a day after, when everything settled in, the actor famous for doing New York-based TV series, gave an analogy of the situation to that of "The Godfather" characters Michael Corleone and Fredo Corleone.
On Monday, Turturro posted a video to explain why the outfielder shouldn't have signed with the Mets.
"I understand it’s a business. I do. At the end of the day, it’s like show business," Turturro said. "You don’t want to be second fiddle. You don’t want to play next to Judge, because it’s Judge. This is the Yankees. Judge came up a Yankee. He’s the captain. That’s what you signed up for. Reggie came here. Thurman was the captain, but Reggie helped get us over the top. You were part of something here.
And you shun us. You shun us. It’s like Michael Corleone, alright? Michael Corleone—you went out with him, and you shunned him for Fredo. You left for Fredo."
Turturro then took a dig at Soto and those Yankees fans wishing him well.
"You’re a joke, my friend. And any other Yankee fan that’s congratulating him on his contract—you’re soft, brother," the actor said. "You’re soft. You come here, and then you turn, and you go to the dumps of Queens. Even though I’m from Queens, they’re not the Bronx. They’re not the Yankees. They never will be the Yankees."
In "The Godfather," Michael Corleone is the strong, capable leader of the Corleone family, while Fredo, his brother, is depicted as weak, disloyal and less competent. Turturro compares the Yankees to Michael and the Mets to Fredo. Leaving the Yankees for the Mets is likened to betraying the strong leader for the weak, disloyal brother.
Nick Turturro went off on Juan Soto after star outfielder picked Mets over Yankees
Along with the reported contract, some rumors were widely circulated that the Yankees almost made a similar offer with one more year added, as in 16 years instead of 15, which the Mets offered.
Following the news, Nick Turturro posted a video of him throwing F-bombs on the AL MVP finalist for picking the Mets over the Yankees.
“Hey, Juan Soto, I got two words for you: f**k you!” Turturro said. “That’s right. F**k you and the horse you rode in on, and the cavalry behind you. That’s right, motherf**ker! Yeah, I’m taking it personal! We gave you our love! We gave you our f**king heart and soul! It wasn’t enough! You turned your cap around after the World Series. I saw that f**king move!"
It's not hard to understand why Yankees fans felt betrayed when Juan Soto chose not to return to the Bronx. However, ultimately, Soto chose what was best for him irrespective of how others perceived it.