An interesting new report suggests Juan Soto is looking to quiet bitter New York Yankees fans now questioning his defense after his shocking departure to the New York Mets this month.
December has had a slew of major moves in the MLB free agent and trade markets. However, they all pale in comparison to the Mets stunning the baseball world by winning the Juan Soto sweepstakes. It seemed to signify a paradigm shift in New York as a premiere free agent just entering their prime chose to play in Queens over the Bronx.
Obviously, the Mets’ offering the superstar outfielder the most money ever given to an athlete played a major role in his decision. However, his choice to leave for the Yankees’ crosstown rivals has stung their fanbase. And after a year of being his biggest supporter, there has been a huge outpouring from the Yanks fanbase now suggesting Soto and his defense won’t be missed.
It is an out-of-left-field narrative from an upset fanbase but there is some truth in it. Soto’s defense is not at a level worthy of being the highest-paid player in the sport. However, it seems that the four-time All-Star’s defense was a topic during negotiations and he is motivated to improve it further in 2025 and beyond.
- Juan Soto stats (2024): 288 AVG, .419 OBP, .569 SLG, 41 HR, 109 RBI, 128 R
New York Mets see huge potential in Juan Soto’s defense long-term
“That’s something that we actually talked to Juan about during our meetings with him,” Mets President David Stearns told The Athletic. “He is very motivated to continue to improve, to improve his defense. He got better this past year, and we think he can take another step forward.”
New York Mets assistant coach Antoan Richardson told The Athletic about a story of seeing Soto during his time with the Washington Nationals. His dedication to getting better before games back then. He will be a part of trying to improve his defense in Queens. And he sees a large amount of evidence Juan Soto has only scratched the surface of his potential in the outfield.
“One of the things [people that know Soto] talked about is work ethic and his desire to get better. So, starting from that point, really looking forward to figuring out how that can happen, how we can do that. I see someone who is super athletic and fluid with his actions. He’s got a chance to be really good out there. The goal would be to work with Juan to get to the best version of himself out there in right field. From everything I’ve heard, that’s what he wants to do as well.”
Antoan Richardson
- Juan Soto contract: 15 years, $765 million
Stearns added to the internal belief about Soto’s potential to be an even more complete everyday player. Explaining how the superstar is still fairly early in what should be a very long career.
“We are talking about a 26-year-old player,” Stearns told The Athletic. “And so we’re talking about a player that in a normal baseball universe, he’s maybe a year or two into his major league career. So we are confident that there’s a long period of time here that Juan is going to be in right field.”
Considering the work Soto has put into becoming one of the best players in the game, it’s hard to doubt he won’t try and further improve his defense to quiet the doubters and bitter Yankees fans.