Inside The Mets

Brett Baty reveals reaction to Juan Soto buying him a car

Brett Baty responds to his new teammate Juan Soto buying him a new car.

Logan VanDine

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) works during the first day of a full-squad workout during Spring Training at Clover Park on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Port St. Lucie.
New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) works during the first day of a full-squad workout during Spring Training at Clover Park on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Port St. Lucie. / CRYSTAL VANDER WEIT/TCPALM / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

When the New York Mets won the Juan Soto sweepstakes this offseason, third baseman Brett Baty didn't seem to mind giving up his number 22 to his new teammate.

With Soto having worn that number since making his major league debut in 2018, it was certainly very humbling for Baty to hand over his long-time uniform number. He announced during the Mets' Amazin' Day fan fest on January 25 that he would be donning the number seven in honor of his favorite players growing up, Jose Reyes and Joe Mauer.

Soto didn't want to see this good deed go unnoticed by Baty, and made a very generous gesture to his teammate by buying Baty a new car, a black Chevy Tahoe. Speaking with reporters on Thursday down in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Baty was asked if he knew Soto bought him that $92,000 car.

Read More: Juan Soto surprises teammate with car after number swap

"It's amazing, 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 and I get to learn from him," Baty said.

Baty also made the shocking admission that he's been driving the same car since high school, which is a 2016 Toyota 4 Runner.

"It's got like 150,000 miles on it," Baty said with a smile. "It's kinda near its last leg, but Toyota's run forever."

The former first-round pick is now hoping that his brand-new car from Soto can motivate him to solidify himself as a full-time major league player.

After initially being named the Mets' starting third baseman last season, the 25-year-old had another disappointing season offensively. He slashed just .229/.306/.327 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 50 regular season games. Baty was eventually optioned to the minor leagues on May 31; when Mark Vientos was given the opportunity for the Mets at the hot corner, he had a breakout year on offense and quickly established himself as the team's starting third baseman.

Baty will now try to compete for a utility infield role along with fellow prospects Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio. With Vientos anchoring third, Baty has since gotten reps at other positions, most notably at second base.

Recommended Articles:

Published
Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan

Home/News