Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Does Juan Soto Really Take a Private Jet to Mets Games?

Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

No, Juan Soto isn’t flying solo (or with his family) to away games on a private jet. No, it’s not part of his contract. And no, he didn’t “beg” out of being mic’d up during the Subway Series.

In a week where seemingly every little detail around Juan Soto was twisted into something far bigger, ESPN’s Jeff Passan stepped in Monday to shut down one of the more absurd rumors: the idea that the New York Mets star has been traveling separately from his team via private jet this season.

“To clear up what others have asserted: Juan Soto does not fly separately from his New York Mets teammates on a private jet,” Passan posted on X. “He flies on the team plane. There is no private-jet provision in his contract for him or his family.”

To clear up what others have asserted: Juan Soto does not fly separately from his New York Mets teammates on a private jet. He flies on the team plane. There is no private-jet provision in his contract for him or his family.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 19, 2025

That clarification came after WFAN’s morning hosts Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti ran wild with a misinterpretation of something ESPN’s Karl Ravech supposedly said on Sunday Night Baseball during the finale of the Mets-Yankees series.

“Now he and his family can get on the private jet and go up to Boston,” Esiason said on Monday’s show, claiming Ravech had revealed that Soto had some kind of exclusive travel perk. He then doubled down, speculating that those kinds of luxuries could create “a schism” in the Mets clubhouse, especially if Soto’s numbers ever dipped and other players started comparing treatment.

A private jet and "begging" to not be mic'd up during the game? Boomer and @GioWFAN react to the Juan Soto revelations from the Subway Series finale: pic.twitter.com/DFUMTCKyUh
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) May 19, 2025

Except, Ravech never said that.

What he did mention was that Soto’s deal includes family-related benefits, such as his family occasionally traveling to road games on chartered flights. That’s very different from Soto skipping the team plane and hopping into a Gulfstream with his own initials on the side.

ALSO READ: Boos, Turned Backs, and No Fairytale Ending for Juan Soto in Bronx Return

According to a report from The New York Post, Soto’s $765 million contract includes perks like a luxury suite for all home games, four premium seats, and full-time security for himself and his family. “Family services” is listed in the contract, but there’s no documented evidence that those services include air travel, let alone a personal jet for Soto.

Did Juan Soto ‘Beg’ to Not Get Mid’d Up?

The private jet talk wasn’t the only thing Esiason and Giannotti got ahead of themselves on. They also claimed Soto had “begged” not to be mic’d up for ESPN’s broadcast on Sunday night. In reality, Ravech simply said Soto had opted out shortly before the game, and Brandon Nimmo was interviewed instead. That, too, was confirmed by Awful Announcing and The Post, both of which reported that Soto changed his mind roughly 45 minutes before first pitch, a fairly routine occurrence among players, especially considering all the boos behind him.

Juan Soto steps into the box and hears some LOUD boos again 😳

(via @SNYtv)pic.twitter.com/c1MvaGP1hR
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) May 17, 2025

All of this comes on the heels of what many expected to be a blockbuster return to Yankee Stadium for Soto, only for the slugger to have a fairly quiet showing amid heavy boos from the Bronx crowd. His lack of a “hero moment” seemed to fuel a wave of odd criticism and exaggerated takes, many of which, like the jet rumor, simply aren’t based in reality.

Juan Soto

Mets

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.