It appears as if the Yankees believe they dodged a bullet with Juan Soto contract

The Yankees and Mets have had a joint spiral this summer, with both fanbases absolutely losing their minds. The two New York squads relinquished division leads and are in tough Wild Card scenarios, which was never part of the plan.

But that's life. The Mets have historically done this, and this is the Yankees' new identity over the last 10 or so years. Nonetheless, nobody saw this coming after the way they both started the season off hot.

The Mets looked like a dominant contender with Juan Soto entering the fold. The Yankees' new-look roster seemed as if it was better than last year's World Series team. But they gave it all back and various doomsday scenarios surfaced.

Were the Yankees going to sell at the trade deadline if this worsened? How were the Mets going to respond if they missed the playoffs after paying Soto $765 million? The sky was legitimately falling, but thankfully it's all cooled over the last couple weeks.

When we were in the heat of it, though, MLB insider Jon Heyman posited an objectively ridiculous scenario in which Soto would make a return to the Yankees via trade. First of all, the Mets would never do that. Second of all, the Yankees would never do that? Apparently!

Yankees Rumors: Juan Soto contract of no interest to New York

"Since the Yankees and Mets were both better with Juan Soto in The Bronx, I asked Yankees officials if they’d consider a do-over and take Soto back in trade. The answer: No. (The Mets probably wouldn’t trade him, anyway.)," Heyman wrote.

"The Yankees may not be entirely over the rejection. But the answer I got was: Nobody is taking that contract."

Wait a second ... nobody is taking that contract? The contract the Yankees essentially offered to Soto back in December? The Mets' deal is different than what the Yankees presented, in a multitude of ways. The Yankees' offer was $5 million less, had deferrals, and didn't have escalators that could bring it up to $805 million. But they offered $760 million and now all of a sudden that's out of the question?

Was their pursuit of Soto all just a show? Did Hal Steinbrenner go as far as he could possibly go knowing Steve Cohen would win the bidding just so the Yankees looked like they made a valiant effort? Because if $760 million was on the table eight months ago, what's changed?

Perhaps going a dime over $760 million made the Yankees apprehensive. After all, most didn't really agree with Soto eclipsing Shohei Ohtani's record $700 million contract. Perhaps the Yankees' current roster flexibility is what's preferred instead of Soto, an underwhelming defender, locked into right field (Aaron Judge's position). But the Yankees were willing to fit the puzzle pieces together last year, and it got them to the World Series.

Heyman mentioning the Yankees possibly not being over the Soto departure could be playing a role here. But something tells us this drastic change of heart suggests the Yankees might've been relieved when Soto accepted the Mets' offer, because it let Steinbrenner off the hook from paying a $50 million AAV for the next 15 years. Many fans felt that was a wild stretch for the Yankees, considering how they lowballed Aaron Judge before he forced Steinbrenner's hand by making the owner pause his vacation in Italy to throw in an extra $40 million and get the deal done.

Everybody knew a $700+ million contract for Soto didn't feel right, but it's hard to believe the Yankees about-faced on the topic after they were ready to take the plunge.