The Yankees aren’t losing sleep over Juan Soto’s slow start with the Mets.
Despite dealing with some brutal pitching injuries, the Yankees’ offense hasn’t missed a beat without Soto, ranking among MLB’s best in several categories. Meanwhile, their former star is taking his time settling in with the crosstown Mets after signing his massive $765 million deal.
Soto’s slash line sits at just .250/.392/.467 with the Mets, noticeably below his career norms. He recently pointed to a specific challenge as the culprit – no longer having Aaron Judge hitting behind him in the lineup.
“It’s definitely different,” Soto told Mike Puma of the New York Post. “I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me.”
That comment didn’t go unnoticed in the Bronx. A Yankees insider offered a blunt response in Bob Klapisch’s report for NJ Advance Media.
“What did he expect?” the anonymous Yankees source said. “Dude wanted his money; he got it. But he gave up a lot, too.”
Judge takes the high road
Judge himself seems uninterested in fueling any drama between the New York rivals.
“I’m not really going to go back and forth with this,” Judge told Klapisch. “(Soto) just needs to keep being himself. He’s going to be fine.”
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The scrutiny shouldn’t surprise anyone. When you sign the largest contract in baseball history to join your former team’s rival in the same city, every at-bat and interview becomes headline material.
Soto’s track record suggests this slow start is just a blip. He’s been one of baseball’s most consistent hitters since breaking into the league at 19. But this early controversy might serve as a valuable lesson about life under the New York microscope – and how comments about missing his Yankees days might be better kept private.
The way things are going, the Yankees don’t seem to be missing him much at all.
