New Mets slugger Juan Soto impressed by team's belief in 'family, sticking together'

Juan Soto put on a New York Mets jersey and cap for the first time Thursday after his record $765 million, 15-year contract was finalized and talked about what made the difference in his decision.

"They showed me a lot of love. … How they're going to make it comfortable for me," he said. "That's one of the things I was looking for."

Soto was introduced at Citi Field a day after his deal was finalized.

Speaking in the Piazza 31 Club, he was flanked by Mets owner Steve Cohen, president of baseball operations David Stearns and his agent, Scott Boras.

"They always talk about family. They always talk about stick[ing] together," Soto said. "That's one of the things that opened my eyes."

Security men in gray suits wearing earpieces were off to the side.

Soto walked in led by Boras, wearing a dark suit, black turtleneck shirt and gold chain with his No. 22. Soto picked the Mets over the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays.

His deal includes a luxury suite and four premium tickets for home games, all for free, and personal team security for the four-time all-star and his family at the team's expense for all spring training and regular-season home and road games.

Yankees refused to give Soto free suite

"My family is really important for me. Without them, I probably wouldn't have been here," Soto said. "It's one of the biggest things."

The crosstown Yankees, who reached the World Series for the first time since 2009 in part because of Soto, refused to consider the concept.

"Some high-end players that make a lot of money for us, if they want suites, they buy them," general manager Brian Cashman said.

While other teams met Soto at the Pendry Newport Beach, a hotel just a five-minute drive from Boras Corp.'s office, Cohen asked to host the session at one of his homes.

He and Soto met again Friday at another of the owner's homes in Boca Raton, Fla. Soto wanted to know how many championships Cohen expects over the next decade?

in two to four," the owner recalled. "I'm excited by the Mets future. I think [the Soto signing] accelerates our goal of winning championships."

The value of Soto's contract eclipsed Shohei Ohtani's $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. Its length topped Fernando Tatis Jr.'s $340 million, 14-year agreement with San Diego that runs through 2034.

Soto batted .288 with 41 homers, 109 runs batted in and 129 walks this year. The 26-year-old has a .285 batting average with 201 homers, 592 RBI and 769 walks over seven major league seasons with Washington, San Diego and the Yankees.

Soto has the right to become a free agent again after five years, but the Mets can void that right by adding $40 million to the final 10 years of the deal and raising the total to $805 million.

Adames plans to play every day for Giants

Willy Adames wasted little time making one thing clear: He wants to play all 162 games for the San Francisco Giants.

So when introduced as their new shortstop Thursday, Adames looked to his left and gently put a hand on manager Bob Melvin's right shoulder, smiled and said, "if he lets me."

Melvin might not need much convincing, thrilled to suddenly have stability at a position that lacked continuity this year in his first season as skipper.

Adames didn't hesitate to also offer a thought to new boss Buster Posey: He plans to win a few championships with the Giants just like the catcher-turned-executive did here.

Surrounded by his parents and other family and friends, Adames was formally introduced and welcomed at Oracle Park after signing a seven-year contract worth $182 million US —  the first big, splashy move made by Posey since he became president of Baseball Operations in late September.

"There's no words to describe my feeling right now to be here in this beautiful city, I'm just so happy to be here," Adames said. "… This is a dream come true for me. I'm thrilled to be here, I'm so excited. Hopefully we can win a few championships like you did, and that's one of the main reasons I'm here."

Adames's deal marks the richest contract for San Francisco since Posey reached a $167 million, nine-year pact in 2013.

He gives the Giants a power bat and reliable defence at his position. This year for the Brewers, he produced his best offensive season in the big leagues, batting .251 with a career-high 32 home runs and 112 runs batted in.