Dominican baseball player Juan Soto became the talk of the offseason after signing a record-breaking $765 million contract with the New York Mets, setting a new historical mark for a professional athlete.
Soto surpassed the $700 million dollars of Japanese Shohei Ohtani, who had signed for 10 years a season earlier with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Soto’s deal involved enormous pressure to maintain the Hall of Fame-caliber production he had shown throughout his career.
In addition, the 26-year-old jumped from arguably the biggest brand in MLB, the New York Yankees, to their local rivals, which only added fuel to the fire.
The impressive support of the Mets fans for Juan Soto
So far this Major League Baseball season, Soto has not had the start that many Queens fans would have hoped for, but this past weekend may have given him the boost he needed to get back on track.
During last weekend’s series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Mets fans gave Soto a standing ovation every time he came to bat, which he appreciated in an interview after Sunday’s game.
I really appreciate what the fans did. Sometimes I feel like they don’t know how important it is. It means a lot to the players when they do that.
The 2019 World Series champion with the Washington Nationals has not had a bad performance this year, but he has not been up to his usual level.
For most players, their .256/.385/.436 offensive line would be excellent, but his .821 OPS in 2025 is significantly lower than his lifetime mark of .950.
Despite his slow start, Soto will have plenty of time to get back to his Hall of Fame-worthy production with the Mets.
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