The biggest news this offseason is probably the decision of Juan Soto. There were so many speculations where he would go. In the end, he decided to join the Mets. Soto and the Mets agreed to an amazing 15-year deal, which is a record breaking one.
Without doubt, Soto is one of the best hitters in the majors. He had a fantastic 2024 season, slashing .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs and 109 RBI. Again, Soto finished the season with an OBP over .400. Moreover, this time, he blasted 40+ home runs in a single season. Soto finished 3rd in the AL MVP voting.
It’s quite clear that signing Soto will be beneficial to the Mets. However, are there any concerns?
Firstly, let’s take a look at Soto’s performance against NL East opponents. Soto made his MLB debut in 2018 and he was playing for the Nationals. He spent 5 seasons with the Nationals, hence, playing in the NL East isn’t new to Soto. For the Mets, the good news is that Juan Soto did hit very well against the NL East opponents. His OPS against the Braves is over 1.000. At the same time, his OPS against the Marlins, the Phillies and the Nationals is over .900.
In addition, Soto played 35 games at Citi Field. In those 35 games, Soto hit .333/.466/.709 with 12 home runs and 26 RBI. So, he likes to hit at Citi Field. For the Mets pitchers, it’s good news that they don’t have to face Soto.
However, we have to look at his defense. Soto is the finalist of the 2024 MLB Gold Glove award. Nonetheless, looking at the outs above average, Soto’s performance didn’t look good. Soto’s OAA was -5 in 2024. Among qualified right fielders, it’s 6th worst. So, defense could be a tricky part.
Finally, let’s look at OPS. Soto made it into the big leagues in 2018. Since then, he’s been a fantastic hitter. He has an OPS of .953 thus far in his career. From 2018 to 2024, his OPS of .953 ranked 4th among qualified hitters. Mike Trout and Aaron Judge each owned an OPS over 1.000 during this period. Yordan Alvarez made his MLB debut in 2019 and so far, his OPS is .973 in his career. Shohei Ohtani’s OPS is slightly behind Juan Soto.
With the record breaking deal, it’s sure that the Mets want one thing, which is to win the World Series title. Looking at Soto’s performance over the last several seasons, he’s certainly an elite hitter. His OPS ranked top 5 from 2018 to 2024. He did hit excellently against the NL East opponents and he will be a nightmare to the opposing pitchers in the same division. Furthermore, he did hit well at Citi Field. Well, he won’t hit against the Mets pitchers at Citi Field, but the Mets pitchers would like to see Soto become a teammate. Nevertheless, his defense could be a problem. He’s a Gold Glove finalist but his OAA doesn’t look good. This might be something that the Mets front office and coaching staff will have to figure out.
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