Jason Burgos
New York Yankees television announcer Michael Kay took New York Mets star Juan Soto to task this week after his “tone deaf” comments on being snubbed from a spot in this year’s All-Star game.
Despite being the June MLB player of the month and one of the hottest players in baseball right now, Soto was left off the National League All-Star team in 2025. The snub surprised many around the game, including the four-time All-Star. However, when asked about not being at this year’s event, he had a response that bothered many in New York.
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“What do you think?” Soto replied. “I think it’s a lot of money on the table [if I make it].”
According to Spotrac, the outfielder gets a $100,000 bonus for each All-Star Game he makes. While that is a solid chunk of change for most, that amount seems not worth mentioning for a player making $46 million this season alone. The response ticked off many baseball aficionados in New York, and you can include Yankees play-by-play voice, Michael Kay.
Juan Soto stats (2025): .269 AVG, .399 OBP,.509 SLG, .908 OPS, 21 HR, 52 RBI, 66 R
“Goodness gracious. Talk about being tone deaf,” Kay said on a new edition of “The Michael Kay Show.” “Come on, Juan. The last I looked, you’re making a smidge under $47 million this season. And you’re upset because of an All-Star bonus that you have in your contract? You know how bad that looks, that you said that?
“… There are players that make $40 million who are going to look at that and roll their eyes. Why would you even speak that into existence?” he added. “When I first saw that he said that, I thought it was some AI nonsense. There’s no way that a guy that I know, who’s a smart dude, would ever say that. I go to SNY’s site on X, and there it is. He really said it.”
Soto’s comments were likely meant to be a joke. However, after landing the richest contract in sports history, complaining about more money is going to grind the gears of many fans, analysts, and even players. Furthermore, complaining about money first over being with teammates at the game just adds to the doubts some have that the superstar enjoys playing for the Mets.
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