Juan Soto anticipates an intense reception in his return to the Bronx this Friday night.
Following his departure from the Yankees, six weeks after the World Series loss, to join the Mets with a historic 15-year, $765 million contract, Soto is aware that all eyes will be on him during his first visit to Yankee Stadium.
He knows the fans won’t welcome him with open arms.
It’s going to be 50,000 against one. They’re going to try to attack me, you know. It’s part of it.
Juan Soto
Soto’s departure came after months of speculation about his future. During last season and the playoffs, where the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009, the affection between Soto and the fans was evident, with daily chants asking for his renewal.
Soto rejected the Yankees’ 16-year, $760 million offer, opting to sign the most lucrative contract in professional sports history with the Mets.
Although Soto claims he is still “adapting to the new team”, he emphasizes that he has no regrets.
No, no. I made a decision and I’m happy I made it. You look around. We have an incredible team. And it’s going to be a good team for a long time.
Juan Soto
Soto is batting .255 with eight home runs and 20 RBIs, and is 13-for-45 (.289) in his last 12 games after hitting .241 in the first month of the season.
He has batted second in the order between Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso in all games except Wednesday, when he rested in the 4-0 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Mets, who took the World Series champion Dodgers to six games in the 2024 NLCS, have been in first place since April 11 and have a 6-3 record in their last nine games.
Meanwhile, the Yankees used some of the money they were expecting to spend on Soto to sign starting pitcher Max Fried and seven-time All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, the 2022 National League MVP. They also acquired two-time All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger, the 2019 National League MVP, in a trade.
These moves add depth to the lineup beyond six-time All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge, the 2022 and 2024 American League MVP, who leads Major League Baseball with a .412 batting average, 15 home runs and 41 RBIs.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone commented that the series against the Mets will be exciting for both fan bases.
Soto agreed with Boone, saying his return to Yankee Stadium will be “fun”.
It’s going to be good. We’re going to have a good time.
Juan Soto
