At a critical point in the season where no one can afford to falter for the New York Mets, Juan Soto was the main culprit behind the Chicago Cubs‘ run production in the first of six games where Carlos Mendoza‘s team is playing for its entire season, knowing they are currently out of the playoffs.
A costly mistake by Juan Soto
Much has been said about the $765 million the Mets invested in the Dominican star, but more than one fan would agree that he cannot afford to make the kind of error we just witnessed during the first of three games against the Cubs.
After taking a 1-0 lead, with two runners on base, Carlos Santana hit a ball that sailed over Juan Soto after a misplay in the field, allowing two runs to score and flip the game in favor of the Cubs. It’s worth noting that the New York Mets signed Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract, and it would be utterly disastrous if they missed the postseason in his first year with the team.
In August, Juan Soto delivered a historic performance, leading the Mets’ offense and guiding it to break several franchise records. However, that brilliance was overshadowed by the poor performance of the pitching staff. Despite the display of power at the plate, New York closed the month with a disappointing 11-17 record. September has shown no improvement, with a 7-12 record so far.
Collapsing in this manner, especially after boasting the best record in all of MLB at 45-24 on June 12, would be a catastrophic blow. While much of the criticism will likely fall on Soto, that would be unfair: his performance at the plate this season has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Scenarios that could get the Mets into the Postseason
- Mets: 6-0 | Reds: 5-1*
- Mets: 5-1 | Reds: 4-2
- Mets: 4-2 | Reds: 3-3
- Mets: 3-3 | Reds: 2-4
- Mets: 2-4 | Reds: 1-5
- Mets: 1-5 | Reds: 0-6
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