The New York Yankees loved having Juan Soto, and Soto loved playing for the Yankees. But Soto traded ships two seasons ago, and now he is their Subway Series rival. Ahead of the Yankees-Mets high-intensity face-off, Soto’s latest revelation about choosing the New York Mets might earn him some skepticism from his former team.

Juan Soto signed a massive 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets immediately after his lone season with the Yankees in 2024. The popular narrative among the fans was that those millions were a driving factor in sealing the deal, and Soto still missed his former clubhouse, since he often spoke about his time in the Bronx. However, the star slugger has recently revealed that the Mets’ farm system played an important role in impressing Soto during his signing.

“That’s one of the things that we looked at when we signed here, how great was the farm system and how much talent is down there. To get to see it live is really cool to see,” Soto said when asked about Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, and the younger talents of the Mets.

Soto’s single-season stint with the Yankees was a highly successful one. The Yankees made their latest World Series run, as he and Aaron Judge combined to become a historic power duo in 2024. Judge led MLB with 58 homers, while Soto hit his then-career-high 41 home runs. He followed it with a 43-homer season in 2025 for the Mets, his current career-high. This year, Soto is batting .269 with 5 homers.

Following their early-season downfall in April (7-19), the Mets just completed a sweep of the Detroit Tigers during the three-game series. Rookie outfielders Benge and Ewing brought a much-needed boost to the Mets’ lineup. Benge went 7-for-15 against the Tigers, while Ewing recorded 3 hits in 9 at-bats, including a home run. Soto himself recorded 2 hits, including a homer, in the series finale on Thursday, which the Mets won 9-4.

While the Mets still hold an 18-25 record and are 11.5 games behind, they look on the road to recovery. Meanwhile, the Yankees, holding a 27-17 record, have lost six of their last eight games.

Hence, expect the atmosphere to be heated when Soto takes the plate against the Yankees on Friday evening at Citi Field. But Soto is excited for the Yankees-Mets game for one particular reason.

“The vibe that you feel in the stadium outside is just great,” Soto said about the Subway Series, per SNY. “The fans, the field, and everything just feel different, and it feels great to be out there.”

When Soto played for the Yankees in 2024, the Mets dominated, going 4-0 against the Yankees. Now, it’s time to see how the historic series turns out this year. Meanwhile, another former Yankee shared his view ahead of the matchup.

Carlos Mendoza speaks about the Yankees-Mets showdown

Connected by the New York subway system, the Yankees-Mets version of the Subway Series turns 30 this year. Last year, the two rivals went 3-3 in six meetings; the year before, it was 4-0 in the Mets’ favor.

Now, as the time for another face-off has arrived, the Mets manager, Carlos Mendoza, shared his perception of the historic series.

“Subway Series are always special. It brings an extra energy,” Mendoza reportedly remarked. “It’s gonna be packed, it’s gonna be electric. They’re fun. But again, control what you can control, come back tomorrow, and take care of business one day at a time. But it’s always fun, the Subway Series.”

Mendoza spent 14 years (2009-2023) on the Yankees coaching staff before becoming the Mets’ manager. He was a bench coach for Aaron Boone before he signed a three-year managerial contract with the Queens team.