On December 8, 2024, Juan Soto signed a fifteen-year, $765M deal with the New York Mets, which became the largest contract in sports history. The contract includes a no-trade clause, an opt-out after five seasons, and a $75M signing bonus.
The Yankees also offered Soto a sixteen-year, $760M deal, creating an internal conflict in which he ended up signing with the Mets. Following the announcement, there have been rumors that Soto chose to leave the Yankees due to issues he had with staff and management. However, Soto quickly shut them down in a recent Spanish interview with “Grandes en los Deportes” media.
At the news conference, Soto declared that he was excited to get to work and start playing for the Mets because he sees a successful future with them and believes a dynasty can be created with the team. “What they’ve been showing, what they want to do is make this team a dynasty and win for a long time”, Soto said, “So I think why not?”. He commented on the success that they had in the playoffs and making it all the way to the National League Championship Series (NLCS). He expressed that he was excited and looked forward to being able to contribute to the team's accomplishment.
In the same press conference, Soto was asked about the Yankees and he revealed that the last time he talked to any of his former teammates was in the World Series, October 2024.
In Juan Sotos debut with the Washington Nationals, at only 19 years old, he hit 22 home runs in 116 games. By the age of 20, he had already won a World Series. Within the next six seasons, Soto played for the Nationals, San Diego Padres, and Yankees, earning five Top 10 MVP finishes. Remarkably, he’s still only 26 years old.
Francisco Lindor was one of the leaders for the Mets in the 2024 season, and finished his year with 33 home runs and 91 RBIs. Having Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor on the same team could establish a great combination for the Mets offense. With Soto’s strong elite bat power and on-base skills paired with Lindor’s switch-hitting and leadership, it can create a scary combo. Pairing them together could make the lineup more dangerous and difficult for pitchers to navigate.
The National League (NL) East could look completely different in the 2025 season. With teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, the Mets are now a serious contender in the NL. However, the Phillies seem to regress from year to year with postseason success, and the Braves got rid of some of their valuable players. So, can the Mets aim for the top of the NL East now that they landed star Juan Soto?
There is still fragility with the Mets, particularly with pitching and not settling a contract with first baseman Pete Alonso. The team is focused on getting back to the area of prosperity they left with the NLCS, and heavily believe that adding Juan Soto to the roster will be a key piece in helping them return to contention, which will upgrade their performance.
Edited by Elsa Olano
Comentarios