Bad Bunny’s announcement back in January of his historic “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” (I don’t want to leave here) 30-concert residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico put into motion the design of the hottest and hardest to get baseball caps of the summer. 

New Era, in collaboration with Puerto Rican fashion brand FRSH Company and independent record label Rimas Entertainment (the musical home of Bad Bunny) have produced a multi-style collection of New York Yankees and New York Mets caps that are at the moment only available for purchase in San Juan during Bad Bunny’s residency. The Puerto Rico exclusive caps are available in 59FIFTY (fitted), 9FORTY and 19TWENTY silhouettes and come in standard Yankees and Mets colors with a “Concho” patch (a toad character created alongside the release of Bad Bunny’s latest album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”) and “Nuevayol” embroidered on the back.

 

Currently the collection can only be purchased in person at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, the FRSH Company online store or the secondary market, but New Era told The Athletic that the caps will be available for sale in the continental U.S. at the MLB Flagship store in New York City, the Citi Field and Yankee Stadium team stores and MLBShop.com once Bad Bunny’s residency ends on Sept. 14. 

Oscar Quiñones, New Era’s senior brand director for Mexico and Latin America was recently in San Juan and said he was amazed at the number of Bad Bunny Mets and Yankees caps he saw people wearing, noting the hats serve as a collectible “I was there” moment for Bad Bunny fans.

“You walk through the city and all of the people are wearing them,” Quiñones said. “It’s something I’ve never seen before. We (at New Era) always talk about creating these ideas so people can wear them. I think that here is the perfect example that when we do great things you can see it in the people and the culture and everybody is wearing them and it was really amazing to see that.

“This is the first time that we ever collaborated with MLB and a local brand and a local artist. We knew that the (Bad Bunny) residency was going to be a big cultural impact not only in Puerto Rico, but (around) the world, to be honest. So we started thinking out ideas.”

Those brainstorming sessions began shortly after Bad Bunny made his announcement at the start of the year. 

Once New Era, FRSH Company, and Rimas Entertainment were in agreement on a collaboration the game plan essentially wrote itself. Especially once Bad Bunny’s hit single “Nuevayol” began bursting through smartphones and speakers. The term “Nuevayol,” which is embroidered on the back of the special edition caps, is a Puerto Rican saying, an abbreviation of Nueva York (Spanish for New York). The song is a tribute to the vibrant and lasting Puerto Rican community of New York, many generations deep, who descend from the Puerto Ricans who decided to start their American journey in the Big Apple.

 

One key lyric to “Nuevayol” cemented the Yankees and Mets involvement in this project. Bad Bunny sings “con los Yankees y los Mets, Juan Soto” (with the Yankees and Mets, Juan Soto), a lyric that highlights Soto’s star having burned bright for both New York baseball teams. 

But just because one of the biggest musical artists on the planet name drops a generational New York baseball free agency move, it doesn’t guarantee the involvement from the teams mentioned. Quiñones says it is a testament to what the Puerto Rican fan bases in New York mean to both the Yankees and the Mets that both teams approved an idea that would initially not have the teams’ items for sale in New York, but Puerto Rico instead.

“The Puerto Rican community in New York is so important,” Quiñones said. “(The Yankees and Mets) could say, ‘Hey I don’t want to be a part of this,’ but I think that the song is a result of all these things that are happening in the culture. … That’s why it works. The teams understand the importance.”

 

Retail prices for the caps are $60.00 for the 9FORTY and 19TWENTY versions and $65.00 for the fitted 59FIFTY cap that is the same style worn by MLB ballplayers on the field. The caps are currently selling for more than double the retail price on eBay, however. 

Given what he saw in Puerto Rico and what the secondary market is already revealing, Quiñones is convinced that when MLB, the Yankees and Mets put the caps up for sale that might represent the last time fans can purchase them without paying above the asking price.

A unique opportunity was presented to New Era from the moment Bad Bunny sang the words “Yankees,” “Mets,” and “Juan Soto” in “Nuevayol.” 

“We are the only brand capable of doing this,” Quiñones said. “And I think that’s the responsibility we have. There’s an importance in terms of the community. I think we need to bring these projects together in the best way possible.”

The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.

(All photos: New Era)