Juan Soto signed a 15-year deal with the New York Mets during the offseason, one of the biggest contracts an MLB player has ever received. With his first spring training as a member of the team halfway completed, Soto is enjoying the feeling of being under contract for so long.
“Everybody knows how it’s going to be, for how long I am going to be in place, that relaxes you a little bit more,” Soto said via The Athletic. “It doesn’t mean you’re not going to keep working and not keep putting yourself in the best spot going into the season. Definitely, it’s helpful to know where you’re going to be.”
Soto elaborated on the whirlwind of the last few seasons, particularly being uncertain about his future with the Padres.
“Even when I was with the Padres, I was working out that offseason and I was like, ‘What are you guys going to do? Are you going to trade me?’ At the beginning, they said I was going to be the third-hole hitter for the next season,” Soto said.
“And then from nowhere, they said, no, you’re going to be traded. That’s one of the things that makes you think, ‘OK, now I am going to a new place, how is it going to be? … It’s going to be tough to get comfortable.’”
With contract negotiations now being the furthest thing from his mind, Soto is able to focus on what the Mets brought him in to do.
“But now that you know where you’re going to be for the next 15 years, it’s just a different feeling,” Soto said.
Mets’ Francisco Alvarez to miss 6-8 weeks
After fracturing his hand during spring training, New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez will miss six to eight weeks, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed.
“It’s a big blow when your starting catcher goes down,” Mendoza said via the New York Post on Sunday. “But guys will step up. Guys will get opportunities, what we have in house and I am sure [president of baseball operations] David [Stearns] will be looking outside.”
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is confident the team can bounce back.
“[Alvarez] is a team leader and any length of absence is unfortunate,” Stearns said. “We know he is going to be back, this is a relatively standard injury. We have gone through these before here, so we will be able to weather it.”
Alvarez appeared in 100 games for the Mets last season. He finished the year with a .237 batting average, 11 home runs and 47 RBI.
This is the second season in a row that the Mets will be without Alvarez for a significant period of time.
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