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PHILADELPHIA — Juan Soto was all smiles a few hours before Monday night’s MLB Home Run Derby, soaking in the atmosphere as the New York Mets’ lone All-Star representative.
It was a reminder that, even amid a trying year for the cellar-dwelling Mets, Soto is delivering a season worth celebrating.
His .967 OPS ranks second in the National League. So does his .405 on-base percentage. He’s hitting .290 with 21 home runs.
The result is Soto’s fifth All-Star appearance, and his first with the Mets after last year’s snub. The 27-year-old has now been an All-Star for all four teams he’s played for.
“On every team that I’ve been part of, I’ve been giving my 100%,” Soto said Monday. “I’ve been giving everything that I have, and to be recognized with an All-Star Game, it’s really cool.”
Soto is set to start in left field and bat second for the National League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
Right now, Soto said he’s “not thinking about anything else but enjoying the show.”
But Soto knows the Mets, now 40-57 and 12.0 games out of a playoff spot, will resume their season in the very same ballpark on Thursday night, when they’re set to begin a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I’ve been trying my best to win games, to help my team. Definitely, it’s not easy,” Soto said.
“I know how hard my teammates are working. I appreciate that they come in day in and day out. They never stop. They keep grinding. They try to find a way every day. Nothing else I can ask for. … We haven’t gotten to the spot we want to be. It feels like a little bit of failure. I’ve got to keep going. I’ve got to get better, and I’ve got to try harder.”
That Soto is the only All-Star on a roster with a $380 million payroll is a testament to how much has gone wrong for the Mets this year.
Francisco Lindor missed two months with a calf strain. Bo Bichette got off to a slow start in his first season with the team. Nolan McLean, Devin Williams and Freddy Peralta have all endured uneven seasons.
“I feel like everybody needs a couple of days off after a tough stretch,” Soto said. “To get the days off and kind of, like, start over, I think it’s gonna be good for the guys.”
The MLB trade deadline is only three weeks away, and more veterans could follow left-hander David Peterson — traded to the Chicago Cubs last month — out of Queens.
The Mets are at serious risk of missing the playoffs for the second year in a row, both with Soto, who signed a 15-year, $765 million contract before the 2025 season.
But Soto isn’t giving up hope just yet.
“Keep believing. We’re gonna turn things around,” Soto said in a message to Mets fans. “We have a lot of talent, we have a lot of players that can be elite, so don’t give up on them. We’re gonna turn this back.”
This All-Star Game is doubling as a celebration of Justin Verlander, who is set to retire this winter after 21 MLB seasons.
Verlander spent only a few months with the Mets — the 2023 season, during which he was traded to Houston during a pre-deadline firesale — but the future Hall of Fame pitcher enjoyed his tenure nonetheless.
“I really fell in love with the city. It was short, obviously. Didn’t go the way we wanted. There’s a lot of things that were sad about it,” Verlander said.
“But I think the relationship with Steve Cohen and his wife Alex, how great they were to me and my family, and getting to play that short time in New York, was incredible. I still have my apartment in the city.”
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It was a reminder that, even amid a trying year for the cellar-dwelling Mets, Soto is delivering a season worth celebrating.
His .967 OPS ranks second in the National League. So does his .405 on-base percentage. He’s hitting .290 with 21 home runs.
The result is Soto’s fifth All-Star appearance, and his first with the Mets after last year’s snub. The 27-year-old has now been an All-Star for all four teams he’s played for.
“On every team that I’ve been part of, I’ve been giving my 100%,” Soto said Monday. “I’ve been giving everything that I have, and to be recognized with an All-Star Game, it’s really cool.”
Soto is set to start in left field and bat second for the National League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
Right now, Soto said he’s “not thinking about anything else but enjoying the show.”
But Soto knows the Mets, now 40-57 and 12.0 games out of a playoff spot, will resume their season in the very same ballpark on Thursday night, when they’re set to begin a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I’ve been trying my best to win games, to help my team. Definitely, it’s not easy,” Soto said.
“I know how hard my teammates are working. I appreciate that they come in day in and day out. They never stop. They keep grinding. They try to find a way every day. Nothing else I can ask for. … We haven’t gotten to the spot we want to be. It feels like a little bit of failure. I’ve got to keep going. I’ve got to get better, and I’ve got to try harder.”
That Soto is the only All-Star on a roster with a $380 million payroll is a testament to how much has gone wrong for the Mets this year.
Francisco Lindor missed two months with a calf strain. Bo Bichette got off to a slow start in his first season with the team. Nolan McLean, Devin Williams and Freddy Peralta have all endured uneven seasons.
“I feel like everybody needs a couple of days off after a tough stretch,” Soto said. “To get the days off and kind of, like, start over, I think it’s gonna be good for the guys.”
The MLB trade deadline is only three weeks away, and more veterans could follow left-hander David Peterson — traded to the Chicago Cubs last month — out of Queens.
The Mets are at serious risk of missing the playoffs for the second year in a row, both with Soto, who signed a 15-year, $765 million contract before the 2025 season.
But Soto isn’t giving up hope just yet.
“Keep believing. We’re gonna turn things around,” Soto said in a message to Mets fans. “We have a lot of talent, we have a lot of players that can be elite, so don’t give up on them. We’re gonna turn this back.”
Just-in time
This All-Star Game is doubling as a celebration of Justin Verlander, who is set to retire this winter after 21 MLB seasons.
Verlander spent only a few months with the Mets — the 2023 season, during which he was traded to Houston during a pre-deadline firesale — but the future Hall of Fame pitcher enjoyed his tenure nonetheless.
“I really fell in love with the city. It was short, obviously. Didn’t go the way we wanted. There’s a lot of things that were sad about it,” Verlander said.
“But I think the relationship with Steve Cohen and his wife Alex, how great they were to me and my family, and getting to play that short time in New York, was incredible. I still have my apartment in the city.”
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Continue reading...
