The New York Mets’ clubhouse hums with championship ambition, but beneath the glow of their MLB-best 20-9 start lingers a quiet tension. Juan Soto, the $765 million cornerstone of the franchise’s future, steps into the batter’s box as 45,000 fans lean forward in unison-a split-second pause before the crack of the bat. The ball rockets off his barrel at 110 mph… only to nestle into a defender’s glove. Again.

For Soto, these early weeks have been a dance of hard-hit balls and hard luck. Owner Steve Cohen, ever the optimist, brushes aside concerns: “I’m not worried about Juan. He’s singularly focused on baseball. He’s a pure hitter.” Yet the numbers whisper a different story–a career-high ground ball rate, just three home runs, and an OPS hovering below .800.

While Cohen’s faith in Soto remains unshaken, an MLB insider delivered a sobering truth: that for $765 million, ‘OK’ isn’t enough. Amid the Mets’ blistering April has papered over Soto’s slow start, ESPN’s David Schoenfield dropped a big reality check: “Soto has been OK…we expect greatness.” But the Mets’ 20-9 record amplifies the stakes. With a wide-open championship window, Soto’s “OK” production risks becoming a liability in October.

Soto, baseball’s richest player, is batting .257 with a .788 OPS and just three home runs through 28 games–a far cry from his 2024 MVP-caliber campaign (.288 BA, 41 HRs, 109 RBIs with the Yankees). Yet Cohen sees beyond the box score, praising Soto’s “subtle” impact. But the math is unyielding. Soto’s $765M deal–the largest in sports history–demands dominance, not just plate discipline. His 51% ground-ball rate and 6% barrel rate (down from 18.8% in 2024) reveal a hitter still adjusting to Citi Field’s dimensions after tailoring his swing for Yankee Stadium’s short porch. While his 93.3 mph average exit velocity proves he’s hitting rockets, too many are dying in gloves or skimming infield dirt.

This is the paradox of baseball’s richest contract–a superstar navigating the weight of expectations as his team soars without his best. Soto’s track record screams patience: 2023 April slump (.202 average) gave way to 35 homers by September. But in New York, where every at-bat is dissected, patience wears thin fast. But it’s not all bad, as things appear to be falling back on track.

Mets’ blockbuster trade finally seems to be paying off

Well, it’s too early to say this so prominently, but yes, the Mets’ superstar, Soto, has been showing good signs of heating up. Facing his former team, the Washington Nationals, in a four-game series, Soto showed glimpses of what he is truly capable of. He went 6-for-15, posting three two-hit games along with a pair of doubles in the last two games. It’s worth mentioning that Soto managed only a single extra-base hit in the last ten games. But that’s not all!

Soto has also improved his batting average, raising it to .257, and he has been hitting the ball quite hard. Could this indicate that he is finally regaining his power at the plate?

Manager Carlos Mendoza shed light on the reason behind Soto’s improved results. Mendoza said that Soto’s use of the entire field enabled him to make harder contact during the Nationals’ 19-5 victory. “Now, the ball is finding holes, you know? When he wasn’t getting results, he was still hitting the ball hard right at people,” Mendoza added.

And that’s quite evident in his performance, when he went 2-for-4 and pushed for a double down the left field line. Despite a slow start to this season, after Monday’s game, we all hope that Soto finds his rhythm and returns to winning ways for himself as well as the team.