The $765,000,000 Question

All eyes have been on the New York Mets this season for so many obvious reasons. Well, 765 million of them, but I'll get to that later. The Mets had some expectations after last year. They did not win the National League East, instead finishing as the National League's third Wild Card, but the Mets went on a huge run. They eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series thanks to Pete Alonso's 9th-inning game winning shot, and then they upset the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series. The National League Championship Series saw the Mets lose in six to the eventual World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, but it was close and tight series between the teams.

And then, Juan Soto put pen to paper for the Mets. Again, more on that later. The Mets had expectations regardless of them getting Soto, but now that they got him, those expectations were raised. It was looking good for the Mets. 45-24 after 69 games; the best record in baseball. A 5.5 game led over the Phillies in the NL East. It definitely looked like the Mets were in prime position to have a dominant 2025 season.

Or so we thought.

What followed was quite a devastating skid. They've lost 13 of their last 16 games. This includes being swept and dominated in a three game set against, of all teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who outscored the Mets by a combined score of 30-4 in the set. In only two and a half weeks, the Mets went from having baseball's best record to being a game and a half out of first place with only two weeks left until the All-Star Break.

Now let's talk about the very, very expensive elephant in the room:

Now, let me make one thing perfectly clear. This diehard Yankees fan has absolutely no hatred, bitterness, or ill will towards Juan Soto. Why would I? Did he go to the Astros? No. Did he go to the Red Sox? I heard he flatly turned them down. If he had went to either of those two teams, I'd be all over him. He didn't even stay in the American League. So why should I care? I'm still grateful to that man for his efforts, especially that HR he hit to get us our first pennant in 15 years. The only thing that entered my mind when Soto signed that big deal with the Mets: "Subway Series this year." Well, that and that amount of moolah he got. $765 million for 15 years--$51 million per year! Holy moley!

Soto is part of the Mets' "Big 3" that also includes shortstop Francisco Lindor, and first baseman Pete Alonso, though you can say "Big 4" due to Brandon Nimmo being quite the amazing hitter in own right. However, Soto's first couple of months haven't been up to par, though their placement in the standings was good enough to cover that up. The ironic thing: the Mets' June gloom has actually seen Soto tear it up. Out of the team-leading 20 home runs he's hit so far this season, eleven of them were hit this month.

The Mets are trailing the Phillies in the division, but they are 4-2 against Philly this season. They also won the season series over the Dodgers this year, yet with the sweep in Pittsburgh, they actually lost the season series to the Pirates. This skid has been terrible, but it's still early. There's still a couple of weeks left until All-Star Break.. One has to wonder: if the Mets fall short this year--lose in the NLCS again or worse, how much blame will Soto get? He really shouldn't be blamed; he's one of the best hitters in baseball and he continues to prove it. But you know how sports (especially baseball) is. If you're going to make a lot of that filthy green stuff, you better show that you've earned it. Soto has, but Mets fans can be quite unreasonable.

Next up, the Mets will be at home for a three game set against the Brewers, and after that: Subway Series Part 2. The Mets' 1st half will end with series in Baltimore and Kansas City. I think how the Mets fare in those 12 games will determine if they will finish first in the NL East or not. Time will definitely tell if the Mets will exceed what they did last season.