EXTRA GIFT FROM YANKEES TO SOTO REVEALED

I mean, are you kidding me?

Let’s get this straight—Juan Soto played one season in pinstripes, cashed a $30 million check, smiled his way through some postgame interviews, and now he’s a Met. And now it's being revealed that the Yankees gave Soto a parting gift.  They send him a Tiffany wristwatch and a handwritten note from Hal Steinbrenner, like he just finished a decade of loyal service and retired with distinction.

Seriously?

Word is leaking out—now—that Soto received this “gift” shortly after his locker was cleaned out. A top-shelf Tiffany timepiece, engraved with the words: “Once a Yankee—Always Respected.” Respect? For what? For chasing the biggest payday in town and hopping crosstown to the Mets the second the ink dried on his arbitration deal?  Stupid move, but clearly a way to try and entice him back to the Bronx. But let's make it clear; the Yankees played that signing wrong from the start.

And don’t forget—the Yankees also handed him his 2024 American League Championship ring. He wore the jersey for one year. That’s it. The fact is they also gave rings to Clay Holmes and Desi Druschel. Fine. But that's where it should have stayed for Soto too. He’s already in Queens learning how to misplay fly balls in orange and blue.

What’s more insulting is the timing. This news didn’t break during his departure—oh no. It’s only surfacing now, long after he’s strutted out of Yankee Stadium and into Citi Field. Why? PR strategy? A last-ditch olive branch? Or maybe just plain old desperation dressed up in class? Nice work by Pinstripes Nation who put the story out today.

Make no mistake, Juan Soto is a tremendous hitter. But he's also a mercenary. And that’s fine—baseball’s a business. But don’t pretend it was anything more than that. Don’t let Hal’s penmanship and the Yankees’ luxury taste rewrite the story. Soto didn’t leave because the Yankees didn’t try. He left because they didn’t overpay.

And now, we’re supposed to pat him on the back with a “thanks for the memories” and a Rolex-level trinket?

Here’s a better gift: a thank-you card that reads, “Best of luck—just not against us.” That’s it. Nothing engraved. Nothing from Tiffany’s. And certainly nothing that screams desperate to be liked.

Because at the end of the day, the real gift wasn’t a watch. The real gift was playing for the Yankees. And Soto? He gave it back with the tag still on.