Yankees’ Free Agent Juan Soto Trolls Fans With Social Media Announcement

New York Yankees' superstar free agent Juan Soto teased fans with a video he posted on his Instagram account.

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) hits a solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

At least New York Yankees’ free agent superstar Juan Soto has a sense of humor about his much-anticipated contract decision.

The 26-year-old phenom is currently being pursued by at least five different MLB teams with what will likely be a historic deal. As the baseball world awaits his decision, Soto had some fun with fans on his Instagram account on Tuesday. 

Soto posted a new video to his 1.4 million followers with the caption: “The announcement you’ve been waiting for.” The video begins with him sitting down at what appears to be a press conference in front of the media.

“This wasn’t an easy decision," Soto said to the camera. “But after meeting with the team, it became clear where I wanted to be. With that being said, Team Celsius.”

This was Soto’s humorous way of announcing that he is now a brand ambassador for the energy drink Celsius. After taking a sip from a Celsius can, Soto looks at the camera, smiles, and says: “What, you were expecting a different announcement?”

His Celsius post is the second time this week that Soto has been involved in an Instagram-related faux pas. Earlier, MLB posted a graphic of Soto celebrating his 2024 accomplishments but edited the image with the familiar blue and orange color scheme of the New York Mets. Needless to say, Yankees fans were not impressed. 

Soto is the most sought-after free agent since Shohei Ohtani and has received offers from the Yankees, Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, per NJ Advance Media. To many insiders, it is believed to be a two-horse race between the Yankees and the Mets.

While the Yankees have the familiarity and recent success with Soto on their team, the Mets have Steve Cohen’s pocketbook and a potentially favorable management situation. The offers to Soto went out earlier this week and there are expected to be several weeks of negotiations with hopes of a decision by the end of the Winter Meetings in mid-December. Soto is expected to command a contract between $500-$700 million with a term of more than ten years.