
In the now-historic free agent negotiations with 26-year-old slugger Juan Soto, the New York Yankees went nearly everywhere the Mets did, even blowing past the previous contract record of $700 million, set by Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way star Shohei Ohtani, in the club's final bid for the four-time All-Star.
But the Yankees' reluctance to budge on one small detail, which the Mets acquiesced to, may have made a difference in Soto agreeing to change boroughs for the record, $765 million deal.