Brett Baty’s choice to hold onto his high school ride just paid off big time.
The New York Mets third baseman has been driving the same 2016 Toyota 4Runner since he was a teenager, holding onto it despite having earned nearly $5 million so far in his career.
But that changed this week after the arrival of superstar Juan Soto, who signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets this offseason. Soto has worn No. 22 since he first entered the league in 2018, and in his contract negotiations asked to keep wearing it in Queens.
Baty, who had previously worn No. 22 for the Mets, agreed to give up his number and switched to No. 7 for the 2025 baseball season. To show his thanks, Soto did some digging about what would make his new teammate happy.
The answer? A Chevy Tahoe that Soto said set him back $92,000.
“We did our [research] and tried to make sure it was a car he likes. He was talking to one of our guys and he was letting him know it was the car of his dreams, that he dreams of one of those cars,” Soto told reporters. “So I made sure he got it.”
Baty gave up No. 22 when Soto signed with the Mets this offseason.
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Soto presented the black SUV to Baty at the Mets’ spring training complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida — complete with a giant red bow on the front and “Thanks For #22” written on the rear windshield.
“I just appreciate you,” Soto told Baty while giving him the car. “Thank you for the number, I really appreciate it. It’s the first one I ever wear, so I want to give you something nice.”
Baty, who put more than 150,000 miles on his old car’s odometer and whose $800,000 salary means he’s set to earn $61 million less than Soto this season, was taken aback by the gift.
“It’s amazing,” Baty told reporters. “Just for him to be able to think to do something like that, I couldn’t be more grateful. I’m just really excited that he’s on our team.”
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