The one outdated rule that Juan Soto detested the most is still in place at the New York Yankees

MLB Rumors: The one outdated rule that Juan Soto detested the most is still in place at the New York Yankees.

In a positive move, the New York Yankees ended their stance about facial hair.  But they haven't taken much action about the team policy that Juan Soto detested the most.

 The most evident of the many reasons why the New York Yankees lost Juan Soto to the rival Mets was financial.  Soto signed a $765 million deal with the Mets for the next 15 years, thanks to Steve Cohen.  This winter, Soto was the top free agent available, and Cohen's squad was always the favorite to sign him.  Scott Boras and Soto made a huge profit, and his season with the Yankees further increased his total worth.

This summer, the Yankees made a number of significant personnel choices, including the acquisition of Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger and the signing of Max Fried.  Their decision to repeal the team's facial hair policy, which previously prohibited players from sporting beards, was their most noteworthy move this spring.  Players are now permitted to grow and keep their facial hair neat, whatever that entails.

"Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak with a significant number of Yankees from various eras to get their opinions on our long-standing policy regarding facial hair and grooming, and I value their candid and diverse input," owner Hal Steinbrenner stated.  "The ongoing internal dialogue that has been going on for a number of years is being extended by these most recent conversations."

 Steinbrenner freely acknowledged that the outdated rules made him fearful about missing out on future free agents.  To yet, though, there isn't much proof that players shunned the Yankees as a result.  Since Soto is known for being clean-shaven, this policy was probably the one that irritated him the most throughout his time in the Bronx. It had nothing to do with facial hair.

According to Jon Heyman, last season the Yankees refused to give Soto a suit for his close friends and family.  Although it wasn't the main cause of Soto's departure from the team, it didn't help either.  Former Yankees greats Aaron Judge and Derek Jeter have also had trouble in this area, but unlike Soto, neither player was convinced to leave the team.

"When Judge and even Derek Jeter paid for Soto's suite, the Yankees felt they couldn't provide him one.  In mid-December, Heyman writes, "They were prepared to lower the price of a suite but not change their precedent."

 Even though changing THAT policy will likely benefit the Yankees in the long run, they haven't done it yet.  Such items are valued by both current players and potential free agents, and other teams like the Dodgers and Mets don't appear to have any trouble supplying a suit.