An MLB insider has debunked claims that Juan Soto has been using a private jet this season. This follows WFAN’s morning show team mistakenly claiming ESPN commentator Karl Ravech made such a statement during the final game of the Subway Series on Sunday night.
“To clarify recent claims: Juan Soto does not travel separate from his New York Mets teammates on a private jet. He travels with them on the team plane. His contract does not include any private-jet arrangements for him or his family,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan stated on Monday afternoon.
The confusion originated from remarks made on WFAN’s morning program, hosted by Esiason and Greg Giannotti, who seemed to overstate what Ravech conveyed during the ESPN broadcast of the decisive game between the Mets and Yankees on “Sunday Night Baseball.”
“Juan Soto just had a brutal three days,” Esiason said Monday. “He can smile all he wants. He can take his helmet off and acknowledge the boos all he wants on Friday night. At the end of the day, it was a bad weekend for him. So, now he and his family can get on the private jet and go up to Boston. That was interesting that Karl Ravech said that part of it yesterday.”
Esiason harped on what Ravech supposedly said later during the conversation with Gregg Giannotti when he brought up how Soto’s perks could alienate him from other players.
“Who knew that Juan Soto was getting a private jet on top of all of this to away games,” he continued. “The point being is that if Juan Soto’s putting up huge numbers and Juan Soto’s coming through, nobody really cares about that. Then, all of a sudden when that doesn’t happen and somebody else is coming for a contract extension, and the Mets treat that guy like crap compared to what that guy thinks Juan Soto has, that’s where the schism happens.”
The problem with Esiason’s assertion is that it wasn’t exactly what Ravech had said.
According to Awful Announcing, Ravech mentioned that Soto’s contract included family-oriented benefits such as charter flights for his family to attend games on the road.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported in December that Soto, as part of his 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets, received “luxury suite for all home games, four premium seats for all home games, security for player and family at home and on the road and family services.”
A contract summary obtained by The Post included “family services,” but there is no evidence that includes airplane benefits.
Giannotti also claimed that Ravech had said Soto had “begged” not to be mic’d up during the game on Sunday and that’s how Brandon Nimmo ended up being the in-game interview instead.
Ravech reportedly did not use the word “beg” and simply stated that Soto had opted out 45 minutes before the game and Nimmo would be taking his place, Awful Announcing reported.
Sources had told The Post’s Dan Martin that Soto had changed his mind before the game and that it wasn’t unusual for a player to change their mind about being mic’d up.
The Post did reach out to ESPN for clarification on what had been said during the “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast regarding Soto.
