The list of 163 big leaguers who have participated in at least one game for the New York Yankees and New York Mets is filled with a handful of stars who produced iconic moments on both sides of town as well as a potpourri mix of players whose cameos in either borough are easily forgotten by even the staunchest of fans.
Nobody is going to forget the 164th player to suit up for both Big Apple teams.
“Santa delivered Soto this year,” said Todd Zeile, a veteran of both New York teams who donned the big guy’s costume for the Mets’ holiday party for local children Thursday afternoon at Citi Field.
The Mets-Yankees dynamic and narrative was forever altered last week, when Juan Soto, fresh off leading the Yankees to the World Series in his lone season in pinstripes, signed a 15-year deal worth at least $765 million with the Mets.
The blockbuster signing turned up the temperature in the already-hot Big Apple rivalry while also creating a domino effect in which the Yankees used the money they’d allotted for Soto to sign starting pitcher Max Fried and acquire closer Devin Williams and outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger.
Zeile, the Immaculate Grid cheat code who has a unique perspective on the New York-New York battles as an analyst for SNY, took a few minutes after handing out gifts to discuss the impact of Soto’s decision on both sides of town and how it’ll impact the perception of both teams in New York — and if this winter’s flurry of activity could generate a Subway Series 25 years after he played in the first Yankees-Mets World Series.
Q: You knew this could happen. Did you think it would happen?
Todd Zeile: I thought initially it would be a really, really tough task to entice Juan to leave the Yankees — not because it was the Yankees, but because his first experience in New York, it was a phenomenal season for him personally.
It was a World Series year, he seemed to really fit in there. There was a lot of good things that came out, anecdotally speaking, out of that Yankees would about his fit there and his relationship with (Aaron) Judge. So all those factors, I thought, was going to make it challenging.
I think I hoped that it didn’t just come down to who had the biggest paycheck. Because obviously, that weighs (in favor) for Steve Cohen. And as a guy that’s been invested in this organization and has a vested interest in seeing it build and strengthen, I was hoping that he was committing to being a part of the Mets and not just go to the highest dollar amount.
I saw it shift, I heard it shifting, about the same time you did. It seemed like it was Yankees or non-Mets and then all of a sudden, the family aspect of it, the personal aspects, some of the interactions that he had with this organization seemed to shift the tide. And I think that was the thing that I’m most pleased with in the signing is that it was some of those personal anecdotal intangible things that maybe ended up making the difference.
Q: This is one of those ‘Where were you when?’ sporting moments. So where were you? Were you on the SNY set?
Todd Zeile: I was not. I was in South Carolina celebrating my daughter’s wedding. I got a text and a call and went on Zoom and said ‘Here I am.’ I was keeping an eye on it that night, it was Sunday night, I was on my way to the winter meetings the next morning anyway. So got to report on it Sunday night and then got to report through the three days of the winter meetings and really kind of gauge the impact of it.
Q: What do you think of the Yankees’ moves in response?
Todd Zeile: I think they’ve made some smart moves. We think about the $51 million that is the AAV for Soto and the $46 million that they’ve deployed to really get three guys and kind of cover up on some holes. Devin Williams is, I think, a really good, interesting move. Look, they’re doing what they need to do to remain contenders and that’s always been what you have to do in a pivot situation. You don’t land somebody, you weren’t going to stop. I think they’ve made some good, interesting moves.
Q: Will this ramp up the Yankees-Mets rivalry?
Todd Zeile: “I think it makes it interesting. It’s been interesting anyway over a number of years. It’s always something, even if they only meet a handful of times in a year, it’s always intense and fun. But yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how Juan gets kind of welcomed, or not welcomed, to the other side of town. Heats it up a little bit. I think from a Mets historical perspective, there is a little bit of satisfaction not only signing Juan Soto — who is the pre-eminent free agent in the last number of decades or maybe of all-time — but also coming from the pinstripes to the other side of town. So I think that’s going to be an interesting underlying piece to this over the next few years.”
Q: Does this make a Subway Series more likely or is the crapshoot of the playoffs still the overwhelming factor here?
Todd Zeile: To be the last team standing, there’s always a lot of luck that goes into everything else that’s been built and (the) performance. But I think they’re two teams that are certainly going to contend. So that raises the odds and the likelihood. At some point, I’d love to see it.
Q: Can the Mets still be the Mets as we’ve known them forever?
Todd Zeile: I don’t think they’re going to be underdogs. I do think that the personality and the magic that kind of existed this year is sort of inherent in Mets culture. You know that even with the Soto signing and with whatever else they’re doing to do, there’s going to be Mets moments that are like ‘Oh I never saw this coming, how did this happen?’
The one thing that may be shifting and the dynamic that’s shifting is there’s not an expectation that the other shoe is going to drop. I think we’re losing that — you come to spring training and spring training hopes are high but you know you’re going to be disappointed somewhere along the line. I think that people are coming to spring training, expectations high, thinking OK, we’re going to be pleased somewhere along the line. And that’s where the dynamics I think are shifting.”
Q: Do you think the Mets can carve out a bigger niche than they’ve had in New York?
Todd Zeile: Yeah, for sure. I think right now, the Yankees tradition of winning makes it still the Yankees pinstripes are the iconic brand in Major League Baseball. But I think the Mets are really carving out a place in the city and I think that they have goals and expectations to brand this organization outside of just New York City. This should not be a regional brand. This should be a national and a global brand. And I think that’s the intent that they have. And why not? Why not the Mets? They’ve got all the pieces to be able to do it. And I think that’s the next step.
