The New York Mets made the biggest splash of this past offseason by signing outfielder Juan Soto to a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal. Now that Soto has arrived in Port St. Lucie, Florida, for spring training, reality is starting to set in that the left-handed slugger will be in Queens for the foreseeable future.
After participating in workouts, the 26-year-old spoke with the media for the first time since his introductory press conference on Dec. 12. The four-time All-Star touched on several topics during his session with reporters. One thing that stuck out, though, was his response to dealing with pressure.
New York is baseball’s biggest media market. After the Mets fell two wins short of reaching the 2024 World Series, expectations in 2025 are much higher. That’s especially the case after committing so much money to Soto.
A reporter mentioned to Soto that New York has been referred to as a “Mets town” and how such a declaration riles up New York Yankees fans. The slugger was asked how the team can prevent that pressure from building up and handle “the hate.”
Soto’s response was simple, which was captured by SNY’s X account. He said, “Winning games.” He continued by saying, “That’s all you have to do. You don’t have to talk too much. You just gotta go out there and get the job done.”
He knows a thing or two about reaching the top of the baseball mountain. Soto won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals and helped the Yankees reach the Fall Classic last season for the first time since 2009. He was an integral part of the Bombers’ success, posting a .989 OPS with 41 home runs, 31 doubles, 109 RBI, and 128 runs scored in 713 plate appearances.
Now, his next task is helping the Mets return to the World Series for the first time since 2015 and win the organization’s first title since 1986.