The Juan Soto discourse in New York might never quiet down — at least not until he delivers a World Series title in a New York Mets uniform.
On paper, both New York baseball teams are thriving. The Mets are 12 games above .500, hold the fourth-best record in the National League and sit just two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees are 15 games over .500, hold the second-best record in the American League and boast a commanding seven-game lead atop the AL East.
And yet, despite both clubs putting together strong seasons, the court of public opinion seems to have already ruled on which team reigns supreme in the city.
On WFAN’s “Evan and Tiki” show on Thursday, Evan Roberts declared confidently: “The AL East is over.” The co-host went on to name the Yankees the clear AL pennant favorites, pointing to their dominant play, star power and overall consistency.
Whether or not that’s an overreaction is up for debate — but one thing is certain: It’s not even June. With roughly one-third of the season in the books, there’s still time for anything to happen.
And for Juan Soto, time may be his only ally.
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New York media has already started to bury Juan Soto
According to the show, Roberts still believes in the idea that the Mets are waiting on Soto to “get going.” But as Tiki Barber registered, that’s easier said than done.
“What’s [Carlos Mendoza] gonna do, what can [hitting coach Eric] Chavez say — like, what can they do to make him better?” Barber asked, hinting that Soto’s struggles may run deeper than a cold streak.
The numbers don’t lie. Soto is hitting .224 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI. He hasn’t homered in 20 days, and over that stretch, his batting average has dropped nearly 40 points. If the season ended today, Soto would finish with career lows in batting average, OPS, and WAR.
This is not what Steve Cohen and the Mets envisioned when they inked Soto to a 15-year, $765 million deal — a contract that reset the market and raised expectations sky-high. The Mets didn’t just sign a star; they signed a savior. But right now, the savior looks stuck in neutral.
To be fair, Soto isn’t the only star to slump under the weight of New York’s spotlight. But this isn’t about patience or philosophy — it’s about production. The longer the drought continues, the louder the questions get. And if the Mets don’t close the gap in the NL East, those questions could become accusations.
As Barber rightly put it, there’s only so much a coaching staff can do. The swing, the timing, the rhythm — those are things Soto has to figure out himself.
Until then, the criticism won’t stop. The comparisons to the Yankees will only intensify. And the front pages of every newspaper in the five boroughs will continue to ask the same question: Is Juan Soto worth it?
October will write the real story. But until then, the noise isn’t going anywhere — unless Soto finds a way to silence it himself.