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Juan Soto Explains Why He Gifted Brett Baty 'Car Of His Dreams' in Exchange for Jersey

Soto gave his teammate a generous gift in exchange for the coveted No. 22.

Tim Capurso

Soto all smiles during a spring training workout.
Soto all smiles during a spring training workout. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty was due for a car upgrade. He just didn't think it would come on his teammate Juan Soto's dime.

But that's exactly what happened on Thursday at the Mets' spring training site in Port St. Lucie, Fla., as Soto surprised Baty with a black Chevrolet Tahoe, a $92,000 vehicle, in exchange for the No. 22 jersey—a number meaningful to Soto, but also one worn by Baty for the past three seasons.

And Soto didn't purchase Baty just any car, but the "car of his dreams." He explained to reporters why he went above and beyond for his new Mets teammate.

"For me, it's not about the car or anything," Soto said. "It's something that's gonna make him happy. And whenever he sees it, he tells himself that it was worth giving the number 22. For me, that is what it's all about. To make him feel good. To make him feel comfortable and really be thankful for what he has done."

"Some guys don't like to give away their numbers and everything. ... But he actually had no excuses or anything he just gave it away for me, I'm just thankful for that. And I just made sure that he gets something that he's going to really appreciate."

Baty, who said he didn't know Soto was going to purchase him a car, expressed his gratitude for the gesture.

"It's amazing, just for him to be able to think to do something like that, I couldn't be more grateful," Baty said. "I'm just really excited that he's on our team and I get to learn from him. And just learn from one of the best hitters in the game. But it was super exciting going out there and seeing that."

Baty added that he's been driving the same 2016 Toyota 4 Runner, with around 150,000 miles on it, since high school.

"I've been driving the same car ... Honestly Mark [Vientos] has been giving me a hard time about it ... But I've been driving the car I drove in high school around for my whole career. And I come into spring training every single year, I'm like 'I'm gonna get a new car, I'm gonna get a new car'."

Baty said in conversations with Vientos and Mets manager of team travel Edgar Suero that he had always indicated he'd want "something spacious" in a new vehicle. He said he knew something was up when Suero asked him for his car insurance on Wednesday.

Now, Baty will be driving around in his dream car. And it's all thanks to Soto, who will continue wearing a number near and dear to his heart.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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