SU got a kick out of Juan Soto’s remarks at his introductory press conference with the Mets yesterday.  “And at the end of the day, we looked at everything. We looked at the chances, and we looked at what the other teams wanted to do and what everyone wants to do for the next 15 years. And I think we have the best chance over here.”

Translation: Steve Cohen is the owner who will clearly outspend any owner in MLB over the next 15 years. And he is the owner who will spend the most money on me. Even down to the wire, Soto was asking the Yankees to up their offer just a little higher. Sure, Hal would not throw in the free luxury suite for the Soto clan for every home game but SU is sure that was not the deciding factor – at least I don’t think it was. In the end, Steve Cohen offered up a bit more money.

SU has no problem with that. Soto clearly did not appreciate any aura or history playing for the Yankees and all the tradition. SU says it is noteworthy that he did not speak with any of the Yankee players following the end of the season during his free agency. Interesting. Certainly Judge and Stanton would be guys to connect with – maybe even Cole. I think this was in the end, a straight money play – the highest bidder wins and that is fine. Just say it. Time will tell if he is worth it.

As a Yankee fan, I am OK with Soto leaving, and it’s fine that he is going to the Mets. Better to get him out of the American League. For SU, no player is worth this type of money as you can probably slot in 2 – 3 really good players for that cost. While Cohen has an open pocketbook, the revenue taxes are going to be huge for him, and you wonder at what point this becomes not worth it?

In the meantime, the Yankees continue to be linked to everyone: Bregman, Tucker on the Astros, Walker on the Diamondbacks, Bellinger on the Cubs. The Red Sox are interested in Bregman so Cashman must be floating their interest in him to drive up the price for Boston. Cannot see him coming to the Yankees as a right-handed hitter.

SU watched the UConn women’s game vs. Notre Dame last night. Notre Dame has a really good team and led pretty much from start to finish. Note to the NCAA: you really need to upgrade the quality of reffing in the women’s game. It is subpar. Notre Dame plays very aggressive defense and basically forced Paige Bueckers to drive in order to get off her shots. She did not get to the foul line until late in the 4th quarter after taking 21 shots – most of which were drives in the paint. UConn had 1 foul shot mid-way through the 4th quarter. They were letting them play as the saying goes which for a fan is enjoyable but usually the players that take it to the basket are rewarded with some foul shots. Geno Auriemma did not bring it up in his as far as I know but you cannot play that level of handsy defense without getting some calls. It was pretty clear on the telecast to see what was happening. Do better.

Yankee fans: check out the Netflix documentary on the 2004 Red Sox – Yankees ALCS series. While it is painful to watch as a Yankee fan, the former players and coaches/managers are very candid in the interviews, and there were some interesting reveals. SU did not know that many of the Red Sox were doing shots of Jack Daniels in the clubhouse before game 6 at Yankee Stadium – they have film of it. I can only watch this in 30-minute segments as it brings back too many painful memories. The Yankees had some real sluggers on that team but man, the pitching. Paul Quantrill – still a painful memory. Anyway, it is entertaining.