Aaron Boone's half-joking Juan Soto quote just revealed Yankees' true feelings

WFAN's Evan Roberts, given the opportunity to sit face-to-face with New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone ahead of a pressure-filled year, sat in the dugout and opted to snipe him with a Juan Soto dig. He might not've enjoyed the response the way he intended to.

When Roberts asked Boone about whether the team is still "bothered" by Soto choosing the Mets last winter, Boone flipped it back around, smirking while delivering the whopper, "I think it still bothers him." Coincidentally, this came just a few hours after Soto brought up the 2024 World Series team in a comparison to the joy he's currently experiencing at the WBC (the Yankees came up short, but there was admitted joy in both events).

Roberts attempted to deflect by comparing Boone to a radio call-in Yankee troll, and despite the manager's much softer, "Just kidding," he was forced to admit with a smile that he really did sound like a typical troll, but with insider information.

"I guess I did just say that," he said snidely, then admitted he and Soto still have a "really good relationship" after pausing an uncomfortably long time when Roberts replied, "He's happy as a Met." It was stated as fact, but neither man believed it.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone sheds light on the Juan Soto question that his return didn't settle

The awkwardness may have already peaked during Soto's first Subway Series at Yankee Stadium, in which the Bleacher Creatures turned their back en masse the same way they perceived the slugger had over $5 million of base salary, the rights to a suite, and a security guard who bothered Soto's uncle. At the time of his departure, it didn't appear Soto realized how phony his summer's worth of bonding graciously with the fans in right field suddenly seemed. When he returned, the fans made it very clear. That had to have left him with some form of regret, though the decision was irreversible (and no one will ever know if he would've, given the chance).

Soto can be both happy with his decision to leave and still regretful over what he lost. He can be miserable in Queens, but also angered by the way his time in the Bronx has been appraised by overly emotional fans (and managers). He can be nonplussed while remaining in dogged pursuit of a championship, which will satisfy him no matter the zip code.

Boone winked when Roberts gave him the opening, but his response was certainly based in the reality he perceives. Both sides have moved on. But both sides would've also made a wonderful long-term marriage work in a parallel path, and even though it was "just one year," it's still fair for all involved to feel occasional pangs of regret.