Just last year, Juan Soto was preparing for his first season as a New York Met. That meant switching sides in a heated Subway Series rivalry and dealing with the headlines that came with it. Some of those stories were true, while others weren't – only Soto knows.
Soto's former team and its fanbase, the New York Yankees, took far too much pleasure in the 27-year-old's struggles last season. And to be clear, Soto himself had a fine campaign. It was his team, the Mets, which faltered down the stretch and didn't make the postseason. The Yankees eventually fell to the Blue Jays in the ALDS, but in comparison to their crosstown rivals, their decision to move on from Soto looked like the right one. Add in the Mets choice to move Soto to left field this winter due to his declining defensive metrics, and the Yankees can take a sigh of relief that the Dominican superstar turned down their 15-year, $765 million deal, no? Not so fast.
Why Juan Soto's declining defensive metrics don't matter to the Mets
Soto has been the ultimate teammate ever since signing his 15-year contract in Queens. Heck, even on the other side of town, Soto's former Yankees teammates still revere the man. So it should come as no surprise that Soto didn't mind moving from one side of the outfield to another in hopes of accomodating a future star in prospect Carson Benge.
“If you want me to pitch, Mendy, I’ll pitch,” Soto said.
That's all it took to get a plan in motion. Soto was -12 outs above average last season and ranked in the 66th percentile in arm strength from right field. That's not going to cut it. The Mets hope that a move to the less-demanding left field position, where he produced a +5 OAA in 2019, works wonders for Soto. His arm strength will be less of a factor at Citi Field and most MLB ballparks in left, as well.
“It just got to a point where it made more sense for us to go ahead and do it,” Mendoza said.
Benge played right field in college and has a much better arm than Soto. As Mendoza said, it just makes sense, but it should be noted that not all stars are as open as Soto when it comes to position changes. Look no further than Rafael Devers, who didn't want to move off third base in Boston and was ultimately traded to the San Francisco Giants as a result. Soto's leadership and commitment to winning won the day this time around.
How Juan Soto compares to Cody Bellinger and Yankees replacements
There's no denying that the Yankees got the most out of Cody Bellinger last season, especially defensively. In left field, Bellinger ranks in the 93rd percentile in OAA and 91st percentile in range. While his arm strength isn't great, it's still better than Soto's. However, this will be Soto's first season in awhile playing left field, which is far less demanding than right. If Bellinger played right field – a position that is currently manned by Aaron Judge – odds are those statistics wouldn't look nearly as productive.
It's also tough to compare players like Soto to anyone else in baseball. As long as Soto holds his own in a corner outfield spot, he more than makes up for any defensive faults at the plate.
Player | bWAR | Slash | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|
Juan Soto | 6.2 | .263/.396/.525 | 160 |
Cody Bellinger | 5.1 | .272/.334/.480 | 125 |
For reference, 2025 was not one of Soto's best seasons, but even in a down year he is a force at the plate. It's worth noting that in the statistics above, I failed to list his 43 home runs, 127 walks or career-high 38 stolen bases. Meanwhile, Bellinger's 5.1 bWAR was the second-highest of his career to his only MVP campaign back in 2019.
Soto is a model of consistency at the plate, and a future Hall of Famer. He is the modern-day Ted Williams, or at least the closest we'll see to him. He is one of the greatest players of his era, even if he's closer to a league average defensive player in left field. If Soto were a Yankee, you can be that fanbase would rush city hall to come to his defense.