MLB insider buries Yankees-Juan Soto 'fan fiction' with latest report of Mets signing

Life as a Yankees fan. It's interesting, you know? Juan Soto leaves for the Mets and everyone says the Yankees' days of ruling New York are over. Then the Yankees defeat the Mets to continue their dominance across MLB while the crowd mercilessly boos Soto, and now they're "coping." It's a results-driven business, but "results" don't matter to rival fans when it comes to the Yankees. It's just diseased brains featuring Jack Torrence writing "they suck" over and over and over again on a chalkboard in an abandoned warehouse.

Soto going 1-for-10 in the Bronx as the Mets lost two out of three definitely resulted in some negative chatter among the folks in Queens, but the larger baseball community cried "Yankees Fan Fiction" when various reports about the circumstances surrounding Soto's monumental offseason decision surfaced.

Karl Ravech mentioned something of a private jet. It was said the Mets' front office was worried about Soto's "seeming lack of enthusiasm." Then everyone really lost their minds when Michael Kay weighed in on the matter, claiming Yankees bias.

Jeff Passan did his best to kowtow to Steve Cohen's demands, immediately attempting to squash the chatter about the private jet, but everything else lived on as Soto continued to struggle. He's batting .233 with a .771 OPS and a league-leading 10 double plays grounded into through his first 53 games.

And now we have MLB insider Bob Nightengale, a source of objectivity for those still whining about Yankees favoritism, further adding to the Soto drama.

"The New York Yankees are convinced that Juan Soto was ready to re-sign with them on Dec. 11. He asked for a bit more time, was going to discuss it with his family during lunch, and the next thing they knew he was signing with the Mets after being persuaded by family members."

MLB insider confirms Yankees-Juan Soto family speculation was very real

For those who paid attention throughout the offseason, this aligns with the timeline of events. The Yankees, as it was reported by many, were the favorites to sign Soto at the 11th hour. Even the Mets were resigned to that reality. Then, out of nowhere, an historic deal materialized and Soto spurned the Yankees for a contract that could reach $805 million with incentives. Did Yankees fans attempt to cope in that moment? Absolutely. Many viewed it as an opportunity to make the roster more flexible, given Soto's presence took Aaron Judge out of position and made the team less athletic.

And they did just that! And they're among the best teams in MLB. So are the Mets, but their $765 million investment is seriously lagging while fans grow frustrated by the hour.

It's just funny (and sad) for the greater baseball community to think the Yankees leaked various bits of info (whether true or not) about Soto in an attempt to feel better about losing him. But we guess that's what happens when you're spending your days going up and down message boards on Reddit.