Juan Soto’s New York Mets mega-contract is unique for a lot of reasons. Among them is a unique clause in his deal that even stipulates what number he will wear.
Soto has it written into his contract that he will wear No. 22 with the Mets, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Soto has worn the number for his entire career throughout his time with the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees.
Fun wrinkle in Juan Soto’s contract: the deal includes him getting to wear No. 22.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 11, 2024

Third baseman Brett Baty has worn No. 22 during his various stints with the team at the MLB level over the past three years. Typically, a player like Soto would negotiate the right to wear the number and compensate Baty for it, and he might still do that. Clearly, once Soto gets his hands on it, he will not be giving it up.
Soto got a lot of little perks in his Mets contract, and some of them may have helped close the deal. This was probably an easy ask to accommodate from the Mets’ perspective.