Mets superfan Donovan Mitchell already recruiting Juan Soto

Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell is already recruiting Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto to his beloved MLB team, the New York Mets. 

Even though Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell has been in Utah his entire five-year NBA career, his baseball fandom still lies close to home in Elmsford, New York.

Mitchell is not only an NBA All-Star for the third consecutive year in a row: he is a die-hard Mets superfan, and he’s now using his starpower to pull one of the league’s biggest players.

When news broke that Juan Soto turned down a 13-year, $350 million extension offer from his current team, the Washington Nationals, Mitchell saw an opportunity to recruit Soto to his hometown team.

“We would love to have you,” Mitchell told Soto in an Instagram comment.

Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell is recruiting Juan Soto to sign with the Mets

If Mitchell had asked Soto to sign with the Mets earlier in the offseason, perhaps it wouldn’t be taken as seriously. Carlos Correa was one of many free agents to scoff at the notion of playing for the New York team, but since then, the Mets have made big offseason splashes that have generated excitement around the franchise.

However, Mitchell is still jumping the gun on this recruitment offer. Soto isn’t actually a free agent until 2025, meaning that Mitchell is 3 years early in his recruiting. Still, perhaps Mitchell can plant the seed that the Mets would welcome Soto, and the Nationals and Mets could work out a blockbuster trade in the future. The other option here is that Soto could get more leverage in future negotiations if he tries to use interest from other teams as a reason to push for more.

If Soto signs with the Nationals for the next 13 years, all hope would be lost for Mitchell — but perhaps Soto could wait out the remainder of his contract and command a great deal on the 2025 MLB market.