PORT ST. LUCIE — Before Monday, Aaron Boone had not spoken to Juan Soto since he signed with the Mets in December.
But the Yankees manager had a zinger waiting for his former superstar right fielder.
“I told him he looks terrible in that uniform,” Boone said with a grin on Monday morning at Clover Park, where the Yankees were set to face the Mets in their penultimate spring game.
“Good to see him. Obviously Juan was great for us and just as important, he was a great guy in our room. Honestly, it was actually really good to see him and just catch up for a minute. But yeah, I thought he looked terrible in his colors.”
The Yankees did not bring their whole roster to Clover Park, so it was not quite a full-fledged reunion with Soto, who signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets this offseason (turning down the Yankees’ offer of 16 years for $760 million).
But Soto spent time pregame catching up with Yankees staffers and a few of the players who did make the trip.
While the fan base may still be bitter about Soto signing with the Mets after one year in pinstripes, Yankees personnel don’t hold the same grudge for the player who hit an epic home run in Game 5 of the ALCS that sent them to the World Series.
“You watch his routine and process and work ethic, he walks the walk,” Boone said. “So when you’re a great player and you walk the walk, people take notice and pay attention. That’s who he was for us.”
