Maybe as owner Hal Steinbrenner watched Juan Soto's price rise, his blood pressure shot up with it, and the potential profit margin no longer seemed big enough to keep Soto in pinstripes.

Maybe general manager Brian Cashman will find a way to help the Yankees to their second straight World Series without the help of the player who represented the biggest improvement to their roster last season.

Maybe the 15-year, $765 million deal Soto signed with the New York Mets will end up a total bust, and maybe it would have worked out that way if he remained in the Bronx. The deal includes a $75 million signing bonus, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The New York Post's Jon Heyman first reported the news of the deal.

Maybe he won't wind up in the Hall of Fame, though he sure seems on track to get there.

And maybe, just maybe, Yankees fans are going to have a hard time letting this go -- and for a long time.

Look, there are surely lots of emotions going through the heads of Yankees fans right now. By the time Soto attends a press conference wearing a Mets jersey, they'll likely have been through Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross' first four stages of grief: shock and denial, pain and guilt, anger and bargaining ... and depression.

He was the one they couldn't let get away. Now, he's gone forever.

Here are the three biggest reasons Soto's departure is a major disappointment for Yankees fans.

For one full season, Soto got to experience what it's like to receive pure love from the biggest fan base in baseball. Then he rejected them for more riches elsewhere.

Early in the season, Yankees fans showered him with cheers when he'd jog out to right field. Later, those cheers would turn into chants: "Re-sign Soto!" They wanted him to stay. He talked about how much he loved his time with the Yankees and how much he loved his teammates. He talked about putting his name alongside all-time Yankees greats, and for a season, he did that, forming with Aaron Judge perhaps the best one-two punch seen since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Soto had a chance to experience life with the Yankees, who by virtually all accounts from players run a first-class operation, from their first-class charter jet to their clubhouse amenities to how they treat families. He even benefitted from the national exposure. Does Soto get that Celsius energy drink sponsorship without a year on the biggest stage in the sport?

In 2019, Brett Gardner was asked if he ever considered signing elsewhere. He said he hadn't because he had heard horror stories of what it was like to play for the Yankees and leave.

"I've played with quite a few people who have come from other places and can't believe the way we do things around here," Gardner said at the time. "I play with people here who go other places and call me and say, 'You don't want to come over here.' ... "(There's) no better place to play."

Of course, Soto hadn't asked for any of this. He didn't demand the San Diego Padres trade him to the Yankees in December 2023. The Yankees did that, figuring what better way to pitch themselves to Soto long-term other than to let him see what it's like being part of the family. He decided one year was enough.

The Yankees' owner scored major points with fans for sealing the deal with Judge in 2022. Back then, Judge called Steinbrenner as his decision was coming down to the wire, told him he wanted to be with the Yankees for life, and Steinbrenner tacked on the money necessary to make it happen.

This time? Steinbrenner will take the loss -- though he absolutely tried. Until the end, the Yankees were in the running for Soto, even as the bidding soared past $700 million late this week.

"I've got ears," Steinbrenner said at the MLB Owners Meetings in late November. "I know what's expected of me."

Steinbrenner was part of the contingent that met with Soto in California early in the courtship process. In the meeting, Soto spoke with Steinbrenner about how he wanted to have a stronger relationship with the owner -- much like the one enjoyed by Judge and Gerrit Cole.

In the end, money was surely the determining factor, but if Steinbrenner wasn't willing to be the top bid for Soto, he didn't make sure enough was done to make sure Soto would accept less to be able to look forward to a life as a Yankees legend. Though, again, it must be said: The Yankees may have stayed in longer than many expected, especially considering how Steinbrenner spoke at the MLB Owners Meetings in November about how their $300 million-plus payroll year after year may be unsustainable.

At some point, good money can turn into bad money, and clearly the Yankees felt that's where things approached with Soto. Time will tell whether they were right.

Remember Robinson Canó? When he left the Yankees for the Seattle Mariners' 10-year, $240-million offer in 2013, the Yankees spent lavishly to replace him. A rundown:

It didn't work. The 2014 Yankees didn't make the playoffs. They wouldn't win 90 games again until 2017. Ellsbury's contract became possibly the worst Yankees signing of all time. When people think of the careers of McCann and Beltrán, the time they spent with the Yankees doesn't jump to the front of their memories. Tanaka was beloved by fans and teammates alike, but he was never an ace.

Of course, the Yankees would then point to 2009. Heading into that season, they wanted to make sure their first run in the new stadium was one to remember. So, they signed Mark Teixeira ($180 million), CC Sabathia ($161 million) and A.J. Burnett ($82.5 million). They also traded for Nick Swisher. That landed them their most recent World Series win.

Now, the Yankees need to do it all over again. They need to remedy losing Soto with a flurry of spending. They need to reignite interest from a saddened fan base. They need to put another dangerous hitter in front of Judge. They need to not miss a beat or else they'll be reminded often of what they had.