PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 15: Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on during the NLCS Workout at Citizens Bank Park on October 15, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Yankee for life? Juan Soto makes $16K purchase that hints at pinstripe love.
Juan Soto has been full of smiles since he was traded to the New York Yankees in the offseason. The ultimate test for how much he loves owner Hal Steinbrenner’s money (and the Bronx) likely will come this offseason when he’s a free agent.
For now, he’s content with smashing baseballs, winning games and showing his love of New York in more cryptic ways — like at the Yankees Homecoming Dinner on May 19.
That’s where the superstar left fielder paid $16,000 via a live auction for a painting of himself — essentially a gigantic headshot — clad in his Yankees hat and pinstripes with a full smile, gazing toward his right, according to a photo from fan in attendance, BAT1STA, on X. According to the fan, the Soto picture was painted live by Cody Sabol, a “speed painter” from Pittsburgh, according to his website.
[You can see the paint here next to one of Gerrit Cole.]
“BAT1STA” posted several photos from the event, which required tickets and started at 8:30 p.m. last Sunday. One of the photos showed him sitting at a table with Juan Soto, who had a pen in his hand. He posed with general manager Brian Cashman for another.
The Yankees Homecoming Dinner is a fundraising event for the New York Yankees Foundation.
The “Talkin’ Yanks” X account reposted BAT1STA’s Cole-Soto painting image, and it generated quite the excitement from fans.
