Juan Soto: David Stearns “didn’t expect this season”

Last winter, Juan Soto was the big name on the free-agent market. The outfielder, who had just helped the Yankees reach the World Series, was (really) in demand… and there was a battle between the two New York teams for his services.

And in the end, it was the Mets who won that battle. Soto signed a 15-year contract for the princely sum of $765 million, by far the most expensive contract in MLB history.

Inevitably, then, expectations for Soto were enormous this season… and at first glance, his numbers may disappoint. His .248/.387/.486 batting line isn't bad, but it's not up to his standards.

But despite this, during his appearance on The Show, David Stearns said that in his eyes, Soto is really having an incredible season… but one he didn't expect.

Because seeing Soto flirt with a 40/30 season (he has 32 long balls and 22 stolen bases this year) is a surprise to him.

https://twitter.com/nypostsports/status/1961251008304353605

The home runs aren't necessarily a huge surprise. He slammed 41 last year, after all… but we're talking about his personal best in a season. Barring a huge surprise, he'll hit at least 36, giving him his second-best career season.

On the other hand, in terms of larceny, it's true that it's surprising. Soto had never stolen more than 12 goals in a single season… and with a month to go, he already has 22 this season. So he started stealing goals after signing his big contract, an interesting link to make when you consider Oliver Marmol's recent comments.

And he's only been caught twice: he steals a lot, and he does it efficiently.

All this impresses Stearns, who sees in Soto a player who is always ready to add a new string to his bow for the good of his team. And in fact, at this level, it's true that the outfielder's achievements this season deserve to be highlighted.

But at the end of the day, Soto got all that money for his bat. And in an ideal world, seeing him bat again at the height of his immense talent is something we'll have to revisit eventually.

This content was created with the help of AI.