It took a better annual average salary and a personal factor to sway Juan Soto from the Bronx to the Queens. The Mets owner, Steve Cohen, went all in on signing the Dominican slugger to the richest contract in sports history, with hopes of a first World Series win since 1986. Coming with a massive price tag, Soto will carry huge expectations and it remains to be seen how well he will fit in with the other established stars at Mets.

Juan Soto is expected to play right field with Tyrone Taylor shifting to center and Brandon Nimmo in left field. Offensively, he will slot into the top third of the lineup with Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo. While this looks good, there will be pressure on Soto to deliver as the biggest player but the bigger question is will Soto’s superstar status give him the leadership of the Mets’ clubhouse?

Adam Ottavino, a former Met, doesn’t subscribe to the fact that just because Soto is a star player with a massive contract, he will become a leader. The veteran reliever who spent the last few seasons with the Mets mentioned that the team already has leadership set in place. He also believes that Soto, who had a good bond with Yankees captain Aaron Judge, will have no problem settling in with his new teammates.

Speaking on Baseball isn’t Boringon December 31, Ottavino explained, “I’ve been there last three years, The Mets have had a really good clubhouse. I would say between Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo, those two, in particular, really stand out as kind of like the main leaders of the team the past couple of years, but they’re very inclusive types of people. They give everybody a chance to speak.

They gave everybody throughout the years and honestly like I think you know, Juan Soto, there’s not going to be that pressure to be the best player and be the biggest leader on the team. I think he comes in, he can be himself. There’s already a culture in place and he can be additive to that, you know.”

Mets fans will expect Soto to come good right off the bat, but even with his signing, they have work to do. Despite forking out big bucks for the former Yankees star, Cohen still needs to build a team capable of ending their World Series drought. The pieces of that puzzle are already there.

In Francisco Lindor, the Mets have their own runner-up MVP finisher. After signing from Cleveland, he had a mixed first year but has grown into the team’s leader and their most reliable asset. He has produced seasons of 5.6, 6.0, and 6.9 WAR, 30-homer pop, and Silver Slugger production from shortstop. The Mets are primarily Lindor’s team and it remains to be seen how the situation with him and Soto will play out and whether they will be able to replicate the Judge-Soto dynamic from across the town.

Top Comment by Debny1968

I lost a lot of respect for him! He is all about the money!!!

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Ottavino also believes that Soto might be relieved that he will have to focus only on getting things right on the field and not worry about being the leader of the clubhouse. “I think if he wants to speak, I mean, of course, he’s going to speak, but I think at the same time, you know, not having to be the guy (leader), might be appealing. I think sometimes we put a lot of pressure on the best players to also be the clubhouse leader and it’s not necessarily the same skill set.”

To shoulder everything about leading a team won’t be easy on Juan Soto. Ottavino also mentioned that in a baseball clubhouse, the best leaders aren’t just the star players. According to him, not every superstar is cut out for leadership, and there are even leaders who aren’t the best on the field.

Though, how the Mets will line up for the next season is unclear, Soto will make life much easier for Lindor and those below him. Soto’s prowess as a patient No. 2 hitter will yield huge dividends and might just push the Mets across the finish line after falling just two wins short of winning the National League pennant in 2024. Lindor is also excited to team up with Soto.

“[Soto] is a fun guy, number one, and an electric player. So that’s going to add to the vibes as well,” Lindor told MLB Network. “But also his professionalism — how he works, how he prepares, how he’s ready to compete, day in and day out. I think that’s going to go well with the organization, with the culture we’ve been trying to grow and establish.”

Cohen very clearly saw Soto’s signing as the marquee move to fuel his World Series ambitions and was ready to offer him anything and everything. Reportedly, the Yankees had come up with a $760 million contract for over 16 years with a $47.5 million average annual value. However, Soto took up the 15-year $765 million Mets offer, which gave him a $51 million annual average value. While this was a factor in Soto’s choice, there was another reason.

Soto requested his former team for a paid suite for his family at the Yankee Stadium, but it was turned down. Cohen, on the other hand, was more than happy to comply and land his target.

The arrival of Soto at Citi Field has the fans dreaming of success after a long time. On his way out of the Bronx, Soto did ruffle some feathers, when he claimed that “It’s been in a Mets town for a long time,” during his unveiling. This didn’t go down well with many Yankees loyalists and Aaron Judge’s actions further underline that Soto may not be welcome in the other part of the town anytime soon.

Aaron Judge’s post sparks rumors of tensions with Juan Soto

Aaron Judge is the face of the New York Yankee franchise. His postseason dilemmas are not unknown. But no one can deny his impact on the field – the major reason he is MVP this time around, too! Now being a team leader, he has a great relationship with his players. Just recently he posted a year recap, like many, on his Instagram profile. After all, what a year he has had, both on and off. He talked about several players – from Rizzo to Giancarlo Stanton. But one was missing—Juan Soto.

The Dominican was nowhere in Judge’s carousel post. And this post, with rumors about how things weren’t right with Judge and Juan Soto, is already like oil to fire. Fans were quick to point out the missing Soto, who, along with Aaron Judge, actually made 99 home runs! They were even compared to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig at one point. But it seems like that was maybe not the complete picture.

Although Soto mentioned that the pair have no bad blood, this image paints a dire picture. Plus, Judge also mentioned that he didn’t talk to Soto this off-season. A team lead not talking to their priority off-season player? So, now, the question remains: would Juan Soto have a fruitful relationship with the already-mentioned leaders of his present team?

Do you think Francisco Lindor and Nimmo will jell with Soto? Let us know in the comments.