Juan Soto Gifts Mets Teammates Juan Soto Bobbleheads

NEW YORK — In what the Mets' clubhouse is describing as "a gesture," outfielder Juan Soto marked the beginning of his $765 million contract by presenting each of his teammates with a Juan Soto bobblehead, sources confirmed Tuesday.

The bobbleheads, which feature a miniature Soto in full Mets pinstripes mid-swing, were distributed individually from what witnesses described as "a truly unreasonable number of boxes" stacked floor to ceiling in the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field.

"Honestly, we were expecting a steak dinner, maybe a private jet somewhere," said one Mets infielder, cradling the bobblehead with both hands. "But you look at this thing and it really does capture him. I feel like Juan is always with me now. I'm not sure that's different from before, but still."

Soto, who signed the largest contract in professional sports history this past offseason, declined to comment on whether the gifts reflected a specific budget, saying only that he "wanted everyone to have something to remember this season by."

Several players noted that their lockers had already been pre-stocked with the bobbleheads before they arrived, suggesting a level of logistical coordination that teammates found, in one veteran's words, "more impressive than the contract, honestly."

Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed the league has no rule preventing a player from gifting replicas of himself, adding that he wished he had checked before the boxes arrived.