📅 Published on: 2024-12-12 21:07:38
⏱ Duration: 01:02:15 (3735 seconds)
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Watch as Juan Soto is introduced as a New York Met by owner Steve Cohen and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns.
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🕵️♂️ Transcript:
[Music] this is a generational Talent it’s a shock to the system it’s real this is a seminal moment in the history of New York baseball on a I’m on a new level watch out I’m on a new level [Applause] is coming 2025 we welcome you special coverage here on SNY the Mets are going to introduce Juan stto out at City Field Gary Apple our SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino inside our studi is going to get you out to the ballpark just a little bit we’re going to hear from Juan stto from Steve Cohen David Sterns Carlos Mendoza we hope to hear from Gary Cohen uh Scott Boris the agent going to be there as well so a lot to get to Steve Gils going to join us as well so let’s begin here Andy it’s coming in 25 around the corner what about the significance of this signing and of this day how do you categorize it Gary I don’t think we can possibly overstate the significance of this day the New York Mets have been in business since 1962 they’re about to enter their 64th season and never have they had a moment like the one that we are about to witness obviously a championship is the end goal for any sports franchise in multiple championships but what the Mets are experiencing today is no less than a reshuffling to use Soto relevant term of the New York baseball Dynamic I cover the Mets and the Yankees the Mets since their Inception much to the Chagrin of much of the fan base I think has sometimes been regarded as the little brother in this town that is impossible from this day forward they outbid the Yankees they were more appealing to this player to the Superstar player than the Yankees were and no longer are the Yankees just going to be able to flex that fin Financial Muscle and and win these kinds of negotiations against the Mets this is a re ordering of the New York baseball power structure nothing less and a day for not just the Mets but their fans to be able to Puff out their chest and be proud of what you’re saying is there’s a new sheriff in town and he’s been here for a few years now that’s right and it’s beginning to show dividends and reap rewards here uh so they agreed to the deal on Sunday 15 years 765 million bucks with that big signing bonus then the physical on Tuesday Mets made it official yesterday and the introduction coming up here in just a little bit let’s go out City Field right now let’s welcome Steve gbbs in Steve you’re in the room give us a sense of the feeling and again what I asked Andy right there the magnitude of this day for the organization well Gary I’ll take the first part of that to to begin my answer and just the feeling in here there’s a palpable anticipation you I’ve been to a lot of these introductory press conferences whether it’s for uh new GMS new president of baseball operations new managers big-time Acquisitions but I’ve never seen anything quite like this I don’t know if you can tell behind me but it’s it’s standing room only there’s probably 20 plus cameras um a lot of Buzz with everybody kind of looking off this way just waiting for the moment that Wan stto will enter this room and as for your second part you know I think Andy summed it up perfectly and and he said it in that clip that you ran at the beginning as well but this is a seminal moment in New York baseball history and certainly in the history of the franchise and that’s something that Stephen Alex Cohen said as well in their statement that was released yesterday and I find it somewhat fitting that this press conference is being held in the Piaza Club because when you look throughout the history of Mets baseball uh that’s probably the last guy that had the impact on the franchise and the change of perception on the franchise that this impact is anticipated to have um he is a gamechanging player and for a team that last year kind of came out of nowhere and said hey we’re here we’re here for real they now have a guy to put them over the top and get them where they want to go not just for this upcoming season but to be consistently competitive for the next decade and a half it’s one of the most exciting days in the history of the franchise and we’ll see what wano has to say in just a few minutes all right we are going to hear from Juan stto coming up just a little bit as we bring it back inside here how does this change the perception of the Mets organization not just here in New York Andy and not just amongst the fan base but across baseball well it helps Gary that this has been building for a while whether it’s Steve Cohen signing Max sherard what at the time was a record average annual value for a pitcher and bringing in Justin Verlander whether did that ultimately result in a champ chionship or not of course it didn’t it was like oh the Mets are up to something different here then this year this calendar year that we’re wrapping up right now in a matter of weeks it was okay we’re seeing something on the field happen that’s starting to alter the perception of the Mets as a a destination as a place where there’s kind of an interesting and special culture and and a winning Vibe like we haven’t seen before and so this sort of puts the bow on it this now uh creates a perception about the Mets around the league as a place where players want to be a familyfriendly place soda with big family a lot of those family members will be in attendance at City Field today and and this is a place under steveen especially Alex Cohen where where players want to play and of course every other owner and every other team and every other player knew that Steve Cohen had the resources to sign players like this but it’s one thing to know that this day might come for the Mets another day to say well here we are they did it $765 million holy good whatever whatever you want to call it we know the number is is astronomical the biggest contract reception oh my God yes in the history of uh not just baseball but in professional sports uh over 20 seats I think have been reserved out at the Ballpark for the family of Juan stto so it’s got to be going to be a lot of family there as well uh the ability to fit in and and listen something that that made this team so special season ago made this run to the National League Championship Series there was a pretty good camaraderie here right there was a great feeling inside that Clubhouse it bled out onto the field where does sto fit into that you know is someone who’s around the Yankees a lot too Gary I can tell you what I observed and how it’s going to work for the Mets as well so Aaron judge obviously over there is the captain the leader the guy that speaks first in the meetings or calls the players only meetings stto is a hard worker who keeps to himself Lindor is the captain is going to be the guy who sort of is able to stay the same all right so we see Juan SoDo we see David Sterns let’s send it out to City Field right now he’s right here thank you very much everyone and welcome to this extraordinary day in team history before we begin we’d like to welcome everyone who’s watching on Mets social channels SNY and MLB Network and with that I’d like to turn it over to Mets president of baseball operations David Sterns thank you Ethan um and thank everyone for coming today and what is a a special day for our organization as we welcome L stto and his family to the Mets to uh to to get to a day like this it takes a lot of effort on the part of a lot of different people first want to thank Juan for his sincerity and authenticity uh throughout this process his agents Scott Boris and Boris Corp for the their tireless work to facilitate this agreement and our owners Steve and Alex Cohen for their persistence and unwavering commitment to this Pursuit Juan’s performance on the field his accolades his talent speak for themselves his consistency at such a young age is nearly unprecedented in the history of baseball his impact on a lineup matches that of any player in our game today all of that is is really important and all of that is going to help us win a lot of games but what made this match so right is that throughout his career Juan has embodied the fun and focus the energy and passion that reflects our values as an organization and a team we’re thrilled to bring Juan into our team we’re thrilled to bring his family into ours and we’re excited to continue to collectively build an organization that allows us to compete at the Pinnacle of our sport on an annual basis and we’re confident that Juan’s going to be a very big part of that with that I’ll turn over to Steve thank you David this a huge day for the Mets I’m just incredibly excited um I want to reiterate you know welcoming Juan and the stto family to the Mets family um I want to I want to thank Juan and Scott for believing in what we’re building here that means an incredible amount to to to me and Alex um you know I want to thank Josh my son Josh for contributing a phenomenal video I I want to thank my father-in-law Ralph who flew cross country at 93 years old to be part of that first meeting and and really appreciate that Ralph and then I want to thank Alex for you know she she’s finally getting the recognition for what she does for the team and for families and makes this a familyfriendly environment at the Mets um I’m so happy we got there one and and and Scott it wasn’t an easy process okay I mean there there were moments when um you know there there were so many emotions you know it took about 10 days and just so many emotions to get to um where we got to but I always say it’s not how you start it’s how you finish and we got there so you know I’m excited by the Mets future I think this this accelerates you know our goal of winning championships iolated I know the fans are over the top so let’s go [Applause] Mets with that I’d like to invite the four members of the deis to the front of the stage for the Jersey presentation [Applause] go good [Applause] [Applause] thank you very much I’d now like to turn over to Juan SoDo the newest met for his opening remarks well first of all uh I want to thank uh the coin family uh for Mak me be part of the Mets organization definitely Steve Alex uh you guys make it possible um really excited really uh to be here to form part of this family uh definitely I want to thanks David uh and Mandy for have their times and uh explain me better how these uh how we can make these uh a winning franchise and keep growing and growing uh more and more definitely I want to thank my family they were the number ones they were right there every day since since day one Believing on me um sharing for me and being there in every step that I take in my life uh and definitely in one of the biggest ones that I just made and I’m more than excited to to share this with them and to move forward uh from here definitely thanks Scott for uh all the knowledge and everything that you gave me all the information and stuff uh to help me out to go through all these uh stuff and the Boris corporation uh you guys were amazing I think you guys are the best of the best definitely uh you aren’t my agent anymore you guys are my family still and then we’re going to take it out all the way until I’m in my grade so really happy for that uh and more excited to be here and part of all the [Applause] stuff next we’ll hear from Juan sto’s attorney Scott Boris thank you um Our Hope always is that you can provide a player with insight and information so that he can make the most informed decision with Steve and Alex and Grandpa gosh I I thank you letting one and his family know who you are apart from the business of the game uh David um great appreciation uh having done many of these I know that this one was one that uh there was so much uh information that went to Juan and his family I I very much thank the Supreme Court of SoDo the family for giving me the the direction and providing one with the stability and the love so he could truly arrive at a decision that was in his heart and that’s great as far as baseball couldn’t be happier game is your life who this man is he serves an example for every player for everyone of what you should do on and off the field how you conduct yourself and I’m so happy that he gets to do it in a form that he so chooses and one of this integrity and I just can’t wait for the next 15 years maybe 20 that uh that this goes to be an extraordinary relationship thank [Applause] you at this time we’ll open up for some questions there there are various microphones throughout the room please raise your hand our first question is from Steve GBS Juan first of all congratulations uh you know you guys were just talking about all the information that came through what at the end of the day pushed the Mets over the top why did you choose the Mets I mean uh the Mets is a great organization and what they have done uh in the past couple years showing uh all the ability to keep winning to keep growing a team to to try to grow a dynasty is uh one of the most important tees definitely uh what you were seeing from the other side was unbelievable and the BS and everything in the field and the future that this team has is is had a lot to do with my decision next question is from Tony doomo the questions for Steve you’ve done a lot over the last five years to try to improve the reputation of this franchise what does this move do in terms of achieving that yeah I mean it’s it’s obviously a huge move I think it’s you know just puts an accent on what we’re trying to do I mean it just like I said it accelerates you know our um goal of winning championships but more important I think you know I kind of said it in the locker room after one of the uh one of our uh playoff victories that you know I my my goal was to change how the Mets were R viewed and and um and I think we’re really on the path of changing that and it’s listen it’s never we’re never going to stop we’re you know we’re always in a constant state of improvement and but that’s my goal my goal is that the Mets are going to be a premier one of the elite teams in Major League Baseball Enrique roas to bring more Spanish to cityi for okay pass the mic here Jun Al y Tim Hy ju a couple of weeks ago when you met with the Mets for the first time what impression did you get of them and what did you think of Steve’s house in La the house is pretty nice it’s really really nice uh but definitely uh what they show me and how the organization runs things and uh how they they’re going to manage things and how they look at their future I think is it was one of the things that opened my eyes a little bit more um what they been uh constructing and building to to take all the way uh all the way up to 15 years 20 years you never know uh but definitely that was one of the things that opened my eyes more why they how hungry they are for to win a championship and to want to make a dynasty in new YK Mets or albanes Juan you had mentioned family a few times and and Steve so did you what about this organization make do you feel that this would be a good place for your family um I think like I said before uh the city of New York is always welcoming you and making you feel your family great you know it’s it’s uh a lot to do with that uh but definitely what they show and how they what they have and what they do in here I think it’s it’s one of the biggest things for for me and uh uh when I see it and look at my family I think they going to have the best time and um that’s what I look up what they show me they they always talk about family they always talk about stick together and stuff like that and that’s one of the things I open my eyes and and in the side of my family in the standpoint and and and that’s when I start thinking about all the love that they can give me for me and my family AB Mr Raa uh one what familiarity do you have with some guys on the Mets already and just what are your impressions of how the lineup might look uh with you in it um I you know I’ve been watching those guys across the field uh for a couple years definitely you know never get to sit down with then or anything like that definitely I talked to Mar a little bit uh in the off season year past uh but what I see from these guys they they are hard workers they’re grinding every day and they showing up uh every day uh my personal lineup is is is really nice I think we have one of the best Lup heers uh in the game and I feel like we can even feel a little bit more but definitely it looks really good so far Steve you said this was not an easy process why wasn’t it oh listen I mean you know this was a competitive process there were many teams involved and it was hard to know where you stood and it was a moving Target right things were changing by the day and so um you know so there were moments when you you start questioning whether you’re going to be successful at this and so but in the end I got the call I wanted at the end we’ll take a couple more hewan uh you’ve been looking forward to free agency for quite a long time now with a number of teams could you have imagined that a team would go to the lengths that it did to get you both financially and otherwise effort wise uh for me uh you know I I really they show me a lot of love on on the standpoint of of what they have uh for me U and how they going to try to make it comfortable for me um that’s one of the things that uh impressed me more and how they’re going to treat everybody around me and my family and stuff like that uh that’s one of the things I was looking for you know at the end of the day you you trying to be comfortable where you at and and have a good time um mon standpoint uh definitely is going to be there it’s it’s going to come it’s always great but definitely uh it was really impressed what they show me uh that they can do with my family and stuff like that last one is Manny Gomez uh just first of all F secondly have you been in touch with anybody uh from your former team and and can you share what those conversations with your now former team the Yankees and could you share what those conversations might have been like I haven’t talked to any of those guys that definitely um we uh we talked to through playoff at the end of the playoff but after that I make these process I haven’t talked to any of those guys thank you very much before we bring up the rest of the family for some photos we’d like to uh have everyone gather all the print and writers on this side of the stage TV stations will come to the front of the stage after the photos um and our Latin media will be off on that side of the stage um at this time now we’d like to invite all right so we just heard from Juan stto David Sterns Scott Boris and uh Steve Cohen the Mets owner chairman CEO and give a lot of love to his his wife Alex and rightly so because one of the things we heard from Juan stto over and over and over again was the love they showed towards not just Juan but his family and we knew going into this this was a big thing but really to hear it from Juan right there it was very clear how important that was yeah so the big question on Sunday night Gary after this the decision came down was why did he pick the Mets it wasn’t that big of a financial difference at the end of the day and he did enjoy being a Yankee there’s no question about that so digging into that a little more and even frankly Mets people were like so so why did he pick us why did we win this thing and as I started to do some reporting on that these are the things that Soto just said out loud were the exact kind of things that I was hearing uh and and then I think was sort of widely reported that things like in the process I mentioned at the top of the show that Mets under Alex Cohen have created a general reputation for being familyfriendly but in this process the Yankees have policies that they didn’t violate for Aaron judge it for anybody else so they weren’t going to feel that they were able to change for stto for example uh do you buy a player or a sweet uh with the Yankees the player buys his own Suite uh the Mets were willing to be more flexible at things like that field passes Clubhouse access for kids these things do not make or break a nearly $800 million deal but I’m telling you this is a human being that’s sitting up there regardless of how much he’s worth and things mean a lot to him he’s close with his family I was starting to get into this a little bit when they took the podium but what sto was known to do for the Yankees was show up to the ballpark put his airpods in work hard play hard hit like a future Hall of Famer go home uh where he lives with his mom in Upstate New York just just north of the city and he doesn’t he isn’t known to go out he isn’t known to drink or smoke or party or anything like that he’s a real quiet kind of Family Guy so making his family feel good was Paramount here and speaking about family there is a portion of the family and that smile number 22 that was a big thing he wanted number 22 to continue and he is going to wear that number with the Mets he also said and I thought it was interesting we both sort of uh commented on it at the time he talked about the lineup and that there needs to be a little bit more done there and that was something he was concerned about right during these negotiations finding that guy to hit behind him protect him in the lineup it was unusually pointed in specific for a celebratory day like this that’s why I got both our attention I’ll give you a little back story to that like you mentioned Gary so the Mets David Sterns and Steve Cohen flew to Florida to meet with Soto last Friday before the weekend where this all came to a head and Soto they spent about two hours with him and Soto spent a lot of time talking to Sterns and Cohen about how he was worried that there wouldn’t be enough protection for him in the lineup so clearly this is something that’s still on his mind is please continue to build out this offense all right speaking about Steve Cohen he is standing by out at City Field right now with Steve Gelb Steve take it away all right Gary thank you very much yeah very very happy Steve Cohen to say the least no doubt uh Steve you know you mentioned how difficult to process this is and was and we all knew it would be what was the roller coaster of emotions for you was there a point in time where you thought we’re definitely out and when was the moment where you said oh my God I think we got him yeah there were there were a bunch of times where I felt like uh we were kind of swimming Upstream wasn’t sure if we were going to get to the promised land and uh um I mean even the night that I you know of the uh agreement I was having dinner with a friend in a restaurant in Florida and I walked out to take A call came back and said I don’t think we’re getting them really yeah and so and then about a half hour later it turned completely around and all of a sudden I realized wow we’re not that far apart like this may happen and so uh you know that that’s pretty emotional in in a very short period of time yeah listen this is a contract that has never been seen before in the history of North American Pro Sports the numbers speak for themselves about why he is worth such a big investment but beyond that when you’re committing that amount of years that amount of money what was it in your conversations with Juan stto that made you realize he’s the guy to do it for well I mean obviously we know you know his abilities so so you know clearly one of the greatest ball players that have come come to come into baseball in a long time um that’s why I I quot I requested a second meeting cuz you know I met him the first time I felt like you know it was a little bit more of a hello how are you that type of thing um but I wanted to get to know him as a person if I was going to commit that type of money I wanted to feel like this was going to work and after the second meeting I knew this was this this could really be you know good for both of us what did you learn in that second meeting that made you feel that you know he just opened up you know like it was really like being human to human right and not not be as guarded and um so so I learned about him as a person I learned how much he cared about his family um how much he you know cares about he’s just focused on being the best baseball baseball player he could be and so uh you know I felt a connection so you mentioned the word family and we know it’s so important to Juan stto and it has been something that has been like you said now talked about a little bit more but something that has been so obvious under your ownership with your wife Alex so bringing out your father-in-law Ralph who is as big a Mets fan as any of us have ever seen um what do you think you are able to get across to players in that moment when you bring family and and treat them like family well you know we want to show them that we’re just not an executive or you know we don’t care about them as people and um I I wanted to you know show them who we were and and what we’re about um you know I’ve learned that from running my hedge fund that um you know have a personal touch right and act like you you know you care about the person which I do I can’t help it I actually care about people yeah so it’s nothing that you want to apologize for so no no I feel great about it it’s worked for me forever well Steve Cohen congratulations an amazing day for the organization as you said it in your statement with your wife a seminal moment for the Mets organization thanks so much for a few minutes all right Carrie back to you all right Steve and Steve we thank you both uh I thought it was interesting listening to Steve Cohen during the press conference say that this really does accelerate the goal of winning championships and as much as family is such a huge part about this and we know this and Steve spoke about it there the human touch that really was the thing that put him over the edge that said okay this is worth 765 million bucks we want to get this done that that uh the ability to win championships that is what Steve Cohen wants to bring to the Mets as he gets set for his fifth year uh in owning the team let’s go back to Steve with wodo Gary here with the of the hour Juan stto Juan once again congratulations uh nobody in the history of North American Pro Sports has ever signed a deal like the one you just signed so considering none of us will ever feel that way what did it feel like to agree to that contract and ultimately sign pen to paper for me it’s it it feels great you know uh it’s at the end of the day uh it’s all about the decisions we make as a family uh we really sit down and uh put everything to together and see what is going to be our our uh our best spot and definitely we make the decision I think that’s uh besides the money it’s it’s that’s that’s the feel that we getting like uh to to have in a in a place that we can be comfortable that we’re going to be happy and and we’re going to have a a really good time when you did make that decision do you remember the exact moment and what you felt when you ultimately decided it was it was exciting it was exciting uh you know uh definitely a lot of back and forth forth uh but when we sit down with my family and and start thinking and looking and seeing all the papers I think we we make the best decision was it a stressful process or was it one that you enjoyed uh definitely it’s going to be a stressful uh you know it’s even if you’re enjoying it you’re going to have a little bit of stress because uh you’re talking about 15 years it’s it’s a long time and uh uh when we we back and forth we have our stress times our happy times our our sad times you know it’s it’s it’s all part of it it’s all part of it and but definitely I think uh we made a good decision Juan you saw this Met’s franchise up close and personal often when you were with the Nationals and one of the things that I think your signing signals to the rest of baseball is that things have changed here in Queens what has your perception been over the years how has that perception of this organization change to allow you to to feel comfortable committing to them for 15 years um for me just uh the way Steve described what he want to do you know what he want to do in the future and how what did he he wants to do with this franchise I think it’s one of the things that changed my mind about the Mets and and what they’ve been doing and what they’ve been having uh and when that what they want to do with the future I think it’s one of the things that actually changed my mind and putting put me in the trade to to to be a man what did he say what do they want to do we keep it privately but definitely he want wants to win a lot and that’s that’s one of the things I want to do uh we wanted to win and we want to try to to bring so many um as many champions that we can throughout these 15 years so that’s that’s that’s enough for me well when the the money gets as high as it does get and you have so many offers on the table do things like the familial atmosphere that the Mets are selling to those help make the decision a little easier in their favor is that something that mattered to you as much as maybe people are making it out on the outside uh it’s yeah I think when you when you sit down and look uh all the options that you have it it gets to a point where it’s uh but it’s not about the money anymore you know it’s it’s uh we we sit down we have great teams uh pushing and and trying to do stuff but uh definitely you’re trying to find uh the best path for you and your family and to to to grow a family and that’s what takes over and what they show me it just uh it’s all family lovely and and best team for me finally won you you played last year with an MVP in Aaron judge you’re now playing with an MVP candidate in Francisco Lindor what does having two players of your caliber on the same team do for the individuals how much do you find that you push one another to even higher Heights uh I think it’s uh he just coming your DNA when you’re trying to be better every day and having a guy like judge it’s just incredible it’s one of the best guys I ever play with I think if not the best is it’s one of the best I mean it’s it’s just unbelievable what HE capable of and how he handled himself and how we went back and forth and now having the chance to to do the same thing with Francisco I think it’s it’s going to be special you know cuz uh he has a lot of stuff to say to tell me and I have a lot of stuff to tell him to to increase our game to improve our game and I think it’s it’s is it’s it’s exciting it’s exciting um to to find every little things every day to get better and and try to have uh your brother next to you try to cheer for you to push you to make to be the best out of out of you Juan I cannot thank you enough for a few minutes on a seminal day for the New York Mets franchise congratulations and we’ll talk to you soon yeah thank you all right Gary back to you all right Steve we thank you ju as well back to you just a little bit Steve a couple of things jumped out of me from that discussion right there one of them being he said ju soda that it was a stressful process he said anytime you’re talking about 15 years a lot lot think of there but the thing that really changed his view on what he was going to do and not stay cross town was the fact that Steve Cohen sold him and again he talked about family and that was a big thing but Steve I think really sold him on the ability to try and win not just one championship and it’s been a long time since the Mets of 1-1 but over this this long course of this contract to win numerous championships and how much do you think that played into this hey look this is a very ambitious owner and obviously under him and Alex very ambitious franchise so there’s no real limit to how uh how the enthusiasm can grow under that kind of pitch and I know that it works for Max Scherzer and remember I know that didn’t work out quite the way it was supposed to but that was such a huge g at the time kind of the first statement and that was the same kind of thing was selling a star player future Hall of Famer on a vision of where this is going now it’s a little bit e easier to make that sales pitch after the Mets went to the NLCS last year uh and it’s it’s good that they’re not tamping it up too much like you don’t want to do a LeBron James and say not one not two not three and create all that pressure on yourself but at the same time the Mets are not hiding the fact that they do have those kinds of Ambitions to be as iconic and successful a baseball franchise as the Dodgers the Yankees what have you the Mets want to be right up there and I’m sure that’s what they sold soda on and Steve CO’s a good salesman and he spoke about that from day one right his introduction press conference when he bought the Mets and now it’s beginning to come to fruition the vision that he had and is going to try and move forward with here uh he was asked Steve asked him about playing with with cross toown with Aaron judge and he talked about just the incredible player and the numbers would speak to what a terrific player judge is one of the most prolific power hitters the game has ever seen and then talked about Francisco Lindor what about that combination and how they can work in concerts well it’s going to it’s going to work like it worked with Soto and judge obviously you have in Lindor and judge two of the top players in the game I think everyone agree the judges on a level like you just said Gary that’s extraordinary but londor was extraordinary last year too and uh I think almost as importantly from a clubhouse standpoint they’re going to work in tandem with each other because Lindor is that vocal leader and stto is that quieter hard worker just like it was with him and judge all right let’s go back out ballpark right now steveen stain by with the Mets president of baseball operations David Stern Steve back to you Gary this one I’m excited about because we’ve been together for the last few days and we’ve been unable to talk about this until it was official so now it’s official and I can officially congratulate you David Sterns on reeling in maybe the biggest fish in Mets history as someone who grew up a Mets fan who appreciates the history of this franchise how would you put into context what this move means to the organization well he’s a great player and and and for our organization to be able to recruit and sign a great player um says that we’re in a pretty good spot in the industry um I also recognize the Mets have had great players before and and great players have have chosen to sign here or stay here uh but to have um a player of the caliber of Juan stto someone who’s who’s clearly on a Hall of Fame trajectory uh who makes our team better um considerably better it’s exciting for us Steve spoke about how this was a very in the-dark negotiation at times you felt great at times you felt terrible what was the experience like for you of trying to bring this thing home yeah that’s that’s often how negotiations Go is is you don’t have complete information as you’re going through it so you try to stick to your internal process your internal um step and negotiation plan um and I didn’t know where this was going to go uh I I I really didn’t I thought we were putting our best foot forward I thought we were very aligned as an organization to what we wanted to do here um and ultimately we’re very fortunate that he chose us when you got that call were you surprised or at that point did you anticipate it might be coming um I think when when we got the call uh on Sunday to to really close this thing out I was a little surprised and then once we got that call I think we had a pretty good idea of where this was going so you know we we kind of talked around this this week but when you’re committing on that level to someone it it’s about more than the money or the player on the field so whether it’s in the conversations that you had with Juan or the conversations about onean from people who knew him in the industry what is it about his character that made you feel comfortable making him one of the centerpieces of the next decade and a half what what we consistently heard about Juan is that he works incredibly hard he cares about his teammates and he cares about winning and that fits with a lot of our leaders on this team um I think he’s going to fit in very well I think he’s going to continue the efforts that a lot of our leadership group made this past year in terms of accountability in terms of working together and pushing forward and I think Juan’s just going to add to that when you look at this team as a whole now uh where do you still feel there need to be additions and and how much room do you have to continue to maneuver and add look I I I think we have the ability to add in a variety of places really in in every segment I don’t I don’t feel like there is a a defined need in each segment but we certainly have the ability and and um and ways to make our our team better whether that’s in the rotation in the pen in the position player grouping and we’re going to do that while balancing our desire to allow some of our younger players to still play that’s something we talk about a lot um something that that Juan also believes is very important remember he was 19 uh when the Nationals gave him a chance to play and so we know the the importance of Youth and continuing to allow our young players to develop and and so we’re going to balance that with also bringing in some established veterans David congratulations I know you have a lot going on today but we appreciate a couple of minutes thank you Steve I appreciate it all right guys back to you all right Steve we thank you so much and David as well he did and I think that was important right there uh that last question about the ability to add in every area of the ball club right because that’s something that I think yeah this a great day this a seminal day in the organization’s history the introduction of Juan sto Hall of Fame Talent seven years in the big League’s been All-Star four times all the things that he’s accomplished you know the numbers to put him up there with guys like Ted Williams over the first portion of his career but there’s more to do here and I think David Sterns knows that let’s go back out to the ballpark right now Steve is with the manager Carlos Mendoza Steve all right thanks again Gary and you know Carlos it was about a year ago that we were here introducing you as the newest Mets manager uh it’s been a pretty solid 12 or so months for you at the helm huh yeah uh it’s hard to believe I was walking in here and he felt like man I felt like it was yesterday that I was walking in here for my press conference and you know like you say a little over 12 month uh here we are you know celebrating welcoming uh special player special human and you know I think this is one of the greatest days moments of this organization proud of to be a met and um you know it’s just exciting have you been able to wrap your mind around it yet that as a manager you’re going to be able to pencil into your lineup every day Francisco Lindor and Juan stto I think he just hit home with me uh when I met him uh not too long ago in person you know the fact that we already have some really good players here in Francisco indor being one of them and on top of that you get to add this type of player on Juan sto uh the caliber and what he brings to the table um it is an honor and a privilege and I just pray for them to stay healthy so I know one of the things that was so important to you was so important to David last year was so important to Francisco and nmo was to really establish a culture an identity an accountability in the clubhouse and when you talk to WAN stto it’s clear that yes the money was what it was but he could have had that in a lot of places and he chose the Mets in part because of what was being built does that give you any sort of extra level of Pride that in just one year it seems like you’ve been able to establish to people outside of the organization that this is a team that that’s going to be serious for years to come 100% 100% And um you know um got to give credit and be thankful for ownership you know Stephen Alex and then David uh because that’s what we want you know we want people that are willing and wanting to come here you know uh yeah like you said money’s there from a lot of people but it’s just the family the people cuz we’re bringing in a quality player but we also bring in a quality person quality family and that’s what you’re looking for uh in order for us to continue to be a first class organization we need to continue to do this um really good players really good people that are going to put this organization in a position to compete for championships all right Carlos two more and then I’ll let you go I asked David this question I asked Steve this question so now I’ll ask you seemed to be a lot of people in the organization in the dark about which way stto was going when you get that call hey he chose the Mets where were you and what can you tell us about your reaction that live television would be okay with yeah uh look um I was a part of that first meeting you know it seems like it was you know four weeks ago I don’t know right and then but I didn’t have the details of what was going on you know um and then until finally Sunday morning I got a text from David telling me there’s a lot of action on SoDo I was like oh wow so we’re still in it and then I flew to Dallas for the winning meetings and I was my room you know after dinner watching TV when he came across my phone you know cuz I didn’t hear straight from daveid because he was flying um and then like 30 seconds later I finally got a call uh and I was just shock to be honest with you I was like I couldn’t believe it and I was just thankful I texted uh Stephen Alex right away I texted David obviously um what a great moment you know what a great moment um and it feels like when you get a call where whether you going into the big leagues in my case where there you’re getting to manage a big league team like we’re getting hanano you know this was uh right there with it okay so then I’ll end on a baseball question not so much an emotion question but we all know that woto is an elite player but from a managerial perspective what is it about his skill set that excites you the most look um this is a guy that wants to be in the lineup every day and as a manager having that type of player that wants to be there is a plus obviously we all know know what he brings to the offensive side of the of the game he is a guy that grinds out a bad he’s Fearless he uses a whole fi he’s one of the best hitters in the game if not the best hitter controls the strikes on hits for power hits for average his you know his attention to details his preparation the way the way he sees the game uh is second to none you know talking to people that had him uh nothing but great things to say about him me he’s a winner this is a guy that is already coming here with a World Series ring and that’s what we want so from the baseball side of them we’re getting a pretty special player all right Carlos great great seeing you as always enjoy the day and we’ll talk to you soon thanks Steve all right guys we thank you both there and the manager is Right wotto shows up played just about every day played 157 games in the regular season for the Yankees year goey uh an Ops just under 1,989 I mean the numbers he puts up are oh yeah incredible so why is Carlos Mendoza the right guy to manage Juan stto well just like Carlos mendo’s former Mentor Aaron Boone these are guys that let the treat the players like adults let players be players uh let the clubhouse mostly self- police and let the veterans run things I mean really your basic leadership tenants that you’d want from from a good leader of people Carlos minosa has those and Spades I mean we’ve clearly seen through year one how he’s on his way to being a special Major League manager is already so he’s he’s a fit for anybody uh he C sto’s coming from one of the best in the game and and is fortunate to now have a guy who’s sort of from that same managerial tree I don’t know about you but I’m excited to be here every single day and night during the baseball season watching Juan sto play and I would imagine the guy who was standing by with Steve gubs right now is excited to call games with Juan stto on the field that’s Gary Cohen back to you Steve yeah I’d say that’s a pretty good guess Gary Apple uh you know Gary you’ve been with franchise watching along since day one just your visceral reaction to seeing this day and Juan stto signing a deal to become a New York Met You know I was thinking about the conversation changers in Met’s history right the the times when the Mets took something and with one move made it bigger than it was and the first one I remember was Keith Hernandez right signing Keith uh getting Keith in a trade in in ‘ 83 and then even more so resigning him that winter that changed what had been a losing stretch in Met’s history into something much different um the trade for Mike Piaza in 1998 took a good little team and turned it into a potential championship team those are really the only moves that resonate the same way you know the Carlos beltron signing in 2005 was big it was the biggest free agent the mets has signed to date and it took them to a different level but this is something extraordinary this is something completely different a player this young this talented this already accomplished a championship player who enhances a team that already went to the League Championship Series last year and to have him through the prime years of his career I I think is it’s a complete Game Cher and it’s easily the biggest of all of those moves that I mentioned and I think when you mentioned conversation changer as well Game Changer certainly over the last 3 days when I was in Dallas you could sense a conversation shift in the industry about the New York Mets and I said this on the air the other night but think if the Mets would have come out and outbid everybody by $150 million and that’s clearly the reason that Juan stto came still great but it’s a different conversation than to have so many teams in the range and Soto sit down and say no this is the organization I’m putting my faith in and so when you look at the last few years under Steve Cohen’s ownership and specifically last year with David Sterns and Carlos Mendoza how much do you think the perception change has allowed for moments like this now to take place see I I think it started with Steve Cohen’s ownership and the fact that he had the resources to compete right because you can have as many systems in place as you want and as much of a family field that wantto got from talking to to Steve and his family and and engaging with them but without the money none of that happen so I think we always knew that this was possible for the Mets to to play in this Ballpark and and be perceived as a team that could compete and could treat their players better than other teams treat them and all those factors that go into that and I think little by little over the last 5 years we’ve seen those systems start to be in place and I think that um Alex Cohen has had an enormous impact and I think Steve mentioned that that finally she’s getting the recognition for some of the things that she’s done to make players feel more comfortable here but David Stern has a lot to do with that too I mean I think that there’s a lot of knowledge in the marketplace now I think that agents and players understand that there are certain organizations that have a knack for threading the needle and making sure that they maximize their resources not just in free agency but in trades in uh minor league free agent signings in all the ways in which you can make your Club better and I thought in year one with David Sterns we saw all of that and Carlos Mendo is a big piece too I mean he won that Clubhouse from day one and through the darkest of times kept it and got it to the sixth game of the National League Championship ship Series in a year where it looked like none of that was going to happen so I think that this changes the conversation for the fans and the people who maybe haven’t been pay paying attention but I think all those things have been in process for the last few years no we have had the privilege doing this job watching wano up close and personal a lot especially when he was with the Nationals and it was 19 times a season so just from a pure baseball perspective what did you always appreciate most about him as a player and how much do you think those skill sets enhance what’s already happening here well I mean from day one that we saw Juan sto he had a presence in the Batters box that you don’t expect a 19-year-old to have I mean he was in the big leagues at 19 and he had the selectivity of a much more veteran player and that’s only become better and better as he’s gotten more mature and and learned the league a little bit better but that’s what stood out from the beginning and this was a guy who brought hitting skills but he brought discernment and he was able to wait for his pitch in a way that I haven’t really seen a slugger since Barry Bonds that’s what Barry Bonds was at his best a guy who could take pitches a sliver out of the strike zone with impunity and take his walks and not worry about it but then when he got a pitch in his Zone he attacked and he hit with damage that’s what Juan stto has been since the start of his career and I think the other piece about it is the fact that even when he was playing with some Nationals teams that were not as competitive he never gave away at bats and you know the the way he approached every bat was the way we saw the Mets play over the last four months of the season so I think that he’s very much in that mold of a guy who is going to bring it every at bat now you know the pieces of his game are what the other pieces of his game are he’s not going to steal bases he’s not going to be a a goal glove outfielder but he’s a good enough hitter that none of those things really matter yeah and I I’m just really happy that you brought up Juan stto when he was with the Nationals teams that weren’t very good because to me and I think I said this during our hot stove shows as well that was what always stood out to me is after that team won a World Series and it was essentially stripped down to its studs we’d watched sto as a what 21 22 23 year old kid and he was still so mature that he would not Chase pitches just to make something happen he’d take three four walks a game but then if you made one mistake he was on it and it was a double or a home run and you know what also impressed me was last year with the Yankees cuz when the Mets played the Yankees they weren’t the Yankees that eventually made it to the World Series they were a team that basically had two guys in their lineup I Lis Sao said it out loud but but we all knew that right they had stto and judge and nobody else and it didn’t change the quality of it as a bats you could see that a star player in that circumstance would expand his Strike Zone and we saw it some with judge we never saw it with SoDo and that to me was amazing too the discipline he was able to show in that kind of circumstance Gary great seeing you we’re going to have some fun this year Steve very nice orange tie I really am enjoying it a lot um you really have done a great job upping your repertoire and I’m looking forward to more of that in the future now that you know this is um a $765 million player kind of team yeah I hear you I hear you I’m going to get to work on that right now that’s the uh that’s it for the coverage from City Field we’ll send it back to the studio on this once again seminal moment in Mets franchise history all right Steve and Gary we thank you both I would agree with that on the on the orange Ty Andy you did not get the memo but that something we can work on Andy looks pretty good anyway very handsome and no I do want to follow up on what the guys were speaking about right there the fact that uh wo it bats aside from the numbers they are really a thing of beauty to watch because he’s such a student of the game understands the strikes so the way he does and they are Andy extremely entertaining Gary summarized I think all aspects of of Soto’s game very well and having had the opportunity to have seen him uh so many doz so many dozens of times from the Press Box over the past year uh the quality of the bats is better than you could have ever expected even watching them occasionally with other teams When You See It dayto day the defense the base running that Gary also mentioned those are what they are are and they’re probably a little bit under expectation when you see them but the abat is Barry Bond’s Hall of Fame level and that’s why he’s being compared to people at bonds Ted Williams Etc Aaron Boone used to use a great word uh to describe these abats last year he said they were like theater and they really were because it’s not just the the eye the selectivity but it’s the shuffle that we all know it’s shaking his head at the Umpire because he actually has a better eye for the strike zone than a lot of the umpires do it’s one of the best we’ve we’ve everever seen in terms of Judgment of balls and strike so he’ll shake his head he’ll look at the pitchure one time at Yankee Stadium Midsummer I decided I wanted to see after Boon talked about the theater I wanted to see this from the ground level the Press Box is obviously a little bit of a quieter environment so I took the elevator down at Yankee Stadium to The Concourse was standing behind the seats that are behind the plate and was watching the crowd invested in every pitch and he holds them in the palm of his hand from an entertainment standpoint better than any other player he is he shakes his head they’re booing the Umpire he shuffles the fans are cheering so there’s a lot there just to enjoy on that level this is an entertainment product and we are seeing an extraordinarily entertaining hitter in addition to a skilled one well I think you hit it on the head right there uh listen 15 years we going to see him with with the Mets if all goes according to plan here and there is an entertainment value that goes into the game and putting fans in the seats at of City Field he’s going to be a big part of that as they move forward certainly winning is a big part of that but he is a highly entertaining player to watch He’s someone who you put it all aside for zip bat buy a ticket to see all those things and by the way that skill set the good eye that AG is better than any other skill set if you sign a player where it’s about his legs or his speed or a lot of other physical attributes is the eye that you can take deeper into your 30s than than most other skills woto comes up so many times at the Ballpark people and fans have their phones in their hands true the phone goes down when woto comes up because you don’t want to miss uh the theater of of the it back let’s finish on this Andy uh do the Mets go now where what December the 12th yeah we’ll be down in Florida about two months from now what’s going to happen between then uh now and then they know they need more pitching okay uh they’re looking the way David Sterns looks at this is we need quality Innings and leverage Innings so I would expect them to add at least one more starter on a Major League deal whether that’s via trade or free agency they’re still talking to Shawn manah although unfortunately for the Mets the uh huge deal that Max freed got from the Yankees will probably make it a little bit harder to sign sha man because the market for pitching is exceeding expectations but they’re still talking to manah there’s trade targets still out there after Garett crochet went to the Red Sox whether it’s Luis Castillo or Jordan Montgomery who you brought up in The Newsroom the Mets are investigating all fronts of out of AD pitching and ow by the way they need a first baseman I see Christian Walker as a fit I see Carlos Santana as a fit and Pete Alonzo of course is also a free agent all right and so that is going to wrap up our special coverage here on what was and continues to be a Monumental stretch here in New York history but the Mets again introduced Juan shto great to see him in that number 22 Mets Jersey he’s going to be here for a long time folks and I think we’re all very excited about that coming up following a break EV and Tiki baseball night in New York continues the coverage tonight at 6 o’cl for Annie Martino I’m Gary Apple we thank you for joining us and we’ll see you soon so long [Music]
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