Despite some harsh pitcher injuries, the Yankees can feel good about the start to their season.
Even after losing Juan Soto, one of the best hitters in baseball, the team ranks toward the top in plenty of offensive categories. Meanwhile, Soto is taking a little longer to adjust to his new life with the New York Mets.
Since heading to Queens on a $765 million contract, Soto has slashed just .250/.392/.467, well below his career averages across the board. In some recent comments to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Soto linked his offensive struggles to some new challenges he’s facing as opposing pitchers no longer have to deal with Aaron Judge hitting behind him.
“It’s definitely different,” Soto said. “I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me.”
Now, a source within the Yankees organization has offered a response to Soto’s comments, according to a new report from NJ Advance Media’s Bob Klapisch.
“What did he expect?” the anonymous member of the Yankees organization asked, per Klapisch. “Dude wanted his money; he got it. But he gave up a lot, too.”
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After taking a record-breaking contract to play for a rival in the country’s largest market, Soto can expect nearly every at-bat and every interview to be highly scrutinized. However, Judge has noted that the controversy seems to be getting blown out of proportion.
“I’m not really going to go back and forth with this,” the slugger said, according to Klapisch. “(Soto) just needs to keep being himself. He’s going to be fine.”
After posting one of the best young careers in baseball history, Soto is going to put this controversy and his relatively slow start with the Mets behind him in short order. But it might also serve as a long-term lesson in just how closely fans are watching him and the kinds of feelings about his Yankees days that might be best kept to himself.
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