Juan Soto is feeling as comfortable as ever with his new team. The outfielder has spent the last few seasons wondering about his future, traded from the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres before spending a contract year with the New York Yankees. But now, after signing a 15-year deal with the New York Mets, he can finally settle in a bit. As he recently told The Athletic's Will Sammon: “But now that you know where you’re going to be for the next 15 years, it’s just a different feeling.”
The 26-year-old star is enjoying his new teammates. Soto has been constantly cracking jokes in the dugout, and he knows when to lock it back in: Across seven games this spring, he’s hit .400 with a 1.338 OPS.
Juan Soto goes 3-3 with a RBI 2B
— WardyNYM (@TheWardyNYM) March 9, 2025
Was nothing short of a pleasure and a privilege to watch this man play baseball today 🔥 #Mets pic.twitter.com/xun30j2F7Z
Steve Cohen wanted Soto in a Mets uniform at all costs, and we all know why. New York came just two wins away from reaching the World Series in 2024, and their roster looks loaded for bear this season despite some early spring injuries. It's safe to say that the vibes are at an all-time high.
Of course, across town ... not so much.
Soto lucked out by heading to Queens rather than staying in the Bronx
During Soto’s lone season with the New York Yankees, he tore it up, finishingthird in American League MVP voting while hitting .288 with 41 home runs. Many thought it would be unfathomable for Soto to leave the Yankees after being a key piece in their trip to the World Series. Nevertheless, he shocked their fan base by ditching the Bronx for Queens.
The Yankees aren’t having too much luck after losing the superstar outfielder. Aaron Judge is the only player in the team's projected Opening Day lineup who’s hit over 30 home runs in either the past two seasons. Giancarlo Stanton is out for an undisclosed amount of time with elbow injuries that could still require season-ending surgery. A lat injury to Luis Gil will keep him out for the first few months of 2025. And now, the worst of the worst happened, as Gerrit Cole might miss the entire year due to Tommy John surgery. After being only three wins away from winning their 28th World Series trophy, the Yankees will have to claw their way into the postseason.
Adding insult to injury, Soto isn't the only former Yankee the Mets poached over the winter. Former closer Clay Holmes looks like a completely different pitcher in spring training as he looks to transition into the starting rotation. He was one blown save away from setting a record in 2024 with the Yankees, and Brian Cashman was more than happy letting him walk. But now Holmes is making him look foolish; he has something to prove in a completely different role, trying to prove the Yankees used him wrong.
Soto made clear that money wasn't the determinative factor in his decision to choose the Mets (although it certainly didn't hurt). He wanted to be somewhere that made him confident in his ability to contend both now and into the future, and he felt like that would be in Queens rather than the Bronx. After just a few weeks of camp, it's hard to say he was wrong.