The New York Mets are hanging onto the National League’s final wild card spot, with the Cincinnati Reds in hot pursuit as the schedule reaches its homestretch.
Boomer Esiason believes the Mets are lacking a true leader worth following to get the job done and clinch a postseason spot this August and September.
In an impassioned rant on Thursday, Esiason called out Juan Soto for not running the basepaths. Esiason evoked the names of two-way Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge in a rant condemning Soto’s leadership.
“When Juan Soto hit that ball he might have been thrown out at first base if it didn’t go out of the building because he’s loping out of the box. Now I don’t expect him to sprint to first base in a situation like this, but he watched the whole thing. This to me is a reoccurring.. and he’s got a nice smile on his face you know like he’s laughing. I’m sick of it. I want to see attitude,” Esiason said on WFAN’s Boomer and Gio.
“Your highest-paid player, whether it be Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani or, in this case, Juan Soto, has to lead the team. They have to set the example. And when the example that is being set is one that just doesn’t look, at least to the naked eye, and as a former athlete looks to me like… If that’s the guy making $760 million and he’s supposed to be a leader, I’m not following that guy.”
Soto hasn’t adjusted to Citi Field’s dimensions at the plate, and his 15-year, $765 million contract is already making Mets fans nervous.
Clearly, no one in New York is more nervous than Esiason.
We’ll see how Soto’s and countless other highly compensated players’ contracts age. Given the MLB’s record profits in 2024, there’s no reason to think the current top deals will remain the market cap for long.
