How the Mets plucked Juan Soto from the Yankees

DALLAS — Talk about a New York City robbery. It wasn't just the top free-agent jewel that the Mets stole from the Yankees; Steve Cohen hijacked the crown, too. 

Less than two months after Juan Soto helped take the Yankees to the World Series, Cohen's Mets blew him away Sunday with the largest contract in professional sports history. Soto did end up going to the highest bidder — the Mets' reported pact with the slugger is for $765 million over 15 years. But the Yankees' offer apparently wasn't too far behind, bringing into question whether Soto wanted to play in Queens all along. 

If that's the case, then there could be a couple of factors that swayed him one borough over. 

The Yankees' reported offer of $760 million over 16 years would've given Soto an average annual value of $47.5 million, which is just $3.5 million shy per year of what he'll earn with the Mets. Soto's Mets deal also reportedly includes a $75 million signing bonus. If that difference in dollar amount is all that mattered to Soto, then it makes sense that he agreed to the highest offer on the table. But since the Yankees' offer was pretty close to what he ended up agreeing to, it sure seems like Soto wanted to make a statement that both fan bases in New York won't take lightly. 

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The Mets — not the Yankees — represented the more appealing long-term destination to Soto in part because of how much they were willing to spend, no doubt. But Cohen also prioritizes getting to know the people in his organization — from players, to front office personnel, to security staffers — on an intimate level. He forms that relationship by routinely appearing on the field, walking