"Why do you listen to uninformed media?" - Mets owner Steve Cohen hits back at ticket manipulation allegation after Juan Soto deal
The New York Mets made headlines earlier this week after signing a coveted free-agent slugger, Juan Soto, for a record-breaking $765,000,000 deal over 15 years. Mets owner Steve Cohen fought off competition from cross-town rivals New York Yankees for the signature of the All-Star outfielder.
Juan Soto was unveiled as a Met at Citi Field on Thursday and his arrival has gained tremendous fanfare. Steve Cohen acknowledged the support for Soto, which was reflected in an uptake in ticket sales. He also mentioned the ticket sales from last season as the Mets were 18th in attendance among 30 MLB teams.
"I want to thank Mets fans for responding to the Soto signing. Ticket sales exploded this week vs last week. We were 18th in MLB attendance last year . Any predictions where we end up this year?"
While Cohen enquired on X, previously Twitter, on how will Soto's signing impact the attendance, a fan alleged ticket manipulation as he was informed the tickets were sold out only for the team to give Juan Soto tickets.
Cohen replied to the allegation, writing:
"Why do you listen to uninformed media?"
Apart from setting the record for the largest contract in MLB history, Juan Soto's contract with the Mets also includes other perks. According to reports, Soto gets a luxury suite and four premium tickets for every Mets game during the regular and postseason.
The Yankees, who traded Soto for the 2024 season from the Padres, reportedly turned down the Dominican slugger's request for a free suite. They had tabled an offer of $760,000,000 for 16 years for Soto.
“Some high-end players that make a lot of money for us, if they want suites they buy them ... whether it's CC (Sabathia), whether it’s (Aaron) Judge, whether it’s (Gerrit) Cole, whether it’s any of these guys," general manager Brian Cashman said.
Juan Soto acknowledged Yankees fans for their support after bumper Mets move
Juan Soto's move to rivals Mets has not gone down well with the Yankees fanbase, who were adamant on bringing back the Dominican star after career-best season with the Bronx Bombers in 2024.
Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs for the Yankees and powered them to the World Series against the Dodgers. He was one of the three finalists for the AL MVP award but was beaten by former teammate Aaron Judge to the title, while Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. came second.
Soto thanked the Yankees fans, saying:
"I just want to say thank you to them. They really showed me all the love and everything that they have. They were right there, day in and day out. They really have a spot in my heart at the end of the day."
Although Soto holds the support from the Yankees faithful in high regard, it'll be interesting to see the kind of reception he gets when he visits the Yankee Stadium in a Mets shirt.