2024’s offseason was going to be unbelievable with the young Mets’ stud Juan Soto. Every person knew that he was going to be overpaid, but not many saw 800 million dollars coming his way. However, despite criticisms about how Soto isn’t worth it, he is showing that he is.
$765 Million Isn’t That Much When You Think About
This sounds insane. However, Soto is essentially the equivalent of Mickey Mantle today. And in today’s day, Mantle would get a pretty penny for his services. The main reason, however, isn’t just because Soto is a potential G.O.A.T. candidate in the future. Soto was signed to a 15-year deal that wasn’t deferred. Fifty-one million a year isn’t as much as that might seem, considering Ohtani’s deal is 70 million a year.
Keep in mind also that Soto might not be in his prime years yet. Sometimes, many players won’t reach their prime until they’re close to 30. Soto is 26, showing that the Mets may be paying for an even better player in the future. How much better? Who knows, players like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge didn’t explode until they were a bit older. Judge was 30 in 2022, while Ohtani was 30 in 2024.
Soto is Starting to Turn On.
The Mets are losing right now. However, as many teams do, this is a losing streak that it is normal. This streak feels terrible. However, those who write off New York should wake up. New York is set to return soon, with Soto being one of the main reasons. Soto has gone from being on pace for a 20-homer, .220 average season to a 36-homer, .255 average season. Soto’s average looks like it’s going one way- up.
As a career .280 hitter, Soto definitely can hit for average. Soto also has power, as Soto now has 17 home runs, which is second on the team. There is only one way to put it at the moment: Soto is on fire. The Mets might not be at the moment, but New York will follow with a win streak soon if Soto’s teammates decide they want to try.
Soto’s Career Numbers So Far Are Insane
In 1014 career games, Juan Soto has hit 218 home runs, driven in 635 runs, walked 833 times, compared to 751 strikeouts. Soto has a beautiful .282 average with a .529 slugging percentage and a 947 .OPS and has a .418 career on-base percentage. At the age of 26, Soto has proved that he is a future Hall of Famer.
Soto is on pace to be second in MLB history in walks, 7th in homers, and 22nd in OBP. Soto is a mix of power, average, and walks. If Frank Thomas or Mickey Mantle returned to play today, how much money would one pay for a 26-year-old version of those players? All in all, Soto is best player in the MLB at the moment when taking age and skills in to account. Judge is 33 and Ohtani is 31. Sure, Ronald Acuna Jr. is amazing but Soto hits more homers, walks more often, and tears his ACL less.
All in all, 765 million is expensive and some might say careless. But after a slow start, Soto has started to turn on. With amazing career numbers and being very young, Soto is showing that he is worth every penny of the deal. Don’t forget that this was a 15-year deal. Soto is only getting better. Soon, everyone might understand why he was paid so much.
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