Juan Soto's most underwhelming Mets moments so far, from Yankees departure and Bronx booing to hustle controversy

Juan Soto's decision to sign with the Mets over the Yankees was a monumental moment in baseball for many reasons.

Besides Soto earning the largest contract in American sports history, he also added fuel to the fire in the Subway Series rivalry by spurning the Yankees for the Mets despite the former being more successful than the latter. As a result, his free agency decision significantly changed the future of the sport, especially when it comes to the two New York teams.

However, Soto's first few months with the Mets haven't been smooth sailing, as the star outfielder hasn't completely found his groove with his new team. That came to a head during the Subway Series, when the Yankees and Mets played for the first time this year.

📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

This isn't the first time that Soto has seemingly struggled to handle adjusting to his new team. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in December that Soto didn't get along great with Padres star Manny Machado, which was noticeably different then his stronger bond with Aaron Judge a year later.

Since Soto is making so much money, he is under an intense microscope from not only the New York media, but the national baseball media. Every incident involving Soto has a chance to get blown out of proportion, whether is fair or not.

Therefore, here's a look at Soto's timeline of national moments with the Mets so far.

MORE: Sporting News' expert picks MLB predictions 2025

Juan Soto timeline with Mets

Juan Soto signs with the Mets

On December 8, 2024, Soto agreed to a15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets for the richest contract in American sports, spurning the Yankees after one year in the Bronx. The Yankees put on a full-court press to re-sign the outfielder, but came up short to their cross-town rival for the star player. 

Yankees fans boo Juan Soto

In Juan Soto's return to Yankee Stadium, Yankee fans heavily booed the outfielder throughout the Subway Series, which also included the Bleacher Creatures literally turning their backs on him. To respond, Soto saluted the crowd as if they were cheering for his return.

The reception for Juan Soto as he comes to the plate for his first at-bat at Yankee Stadium pic.twitter.com/xcFK5lp33Z

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 16, 2025

Juan Soto runs onto the field with the entire bleacher creature section turned around pic.twitter.com/tSq3G0EGiX

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 16, 2025

Juan Soto private plane report

After the Yankees beat the Mets in the first Subway Series of the year, rumors swirled that Soto used a private jet to fly to away games with his family and separately from the rest of the team. However, ESPN's Jeff Passan put an end to those rumors by saying that this is not true.

To clear up what others have asserted: Juan Soto does not fly separately from his New York Mets teammates on a private jet. He flies on the team plane. There is no private-jet provision in his contract for him or his family.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 19, 2025

Juan Soto hustle controversy

On Sunday Night Baseball against the Yankees, with the game tied in the eighth inning, Soto didn't hustle on a ground ball to second base, which lead to criticism from people who thought he could've beaten it out.

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) May 19, 2025

Then, the next game against the Red Sox, Soto was held to a single after failing to hustle when he he hit the ball off the green monster that he thought was a home run. Soto did steal second immediately after to make up for it.

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 20, 2025

After the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he would talk with Soto about his lack of hustle.

"He thought he had it. In this ballpark with that wall right there, you gotta get out of the box," Mendoza said. "We'll discuss that."

However, Soto said he didn't see any issues with his hustling.

"I think I've been hustling pretty hard," he said. "If you see it today, you could tell"

Lack of 'Soto Shuffle'

Through his first seven weeks as a Mets player, Soto hasn't broken out his signature "Soto Shuffle" in the box.

The Soto Shuffle ™️ pic.twitter.com/1QscWiZeVW

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 19, 2025

"It's going to come out one day," Soto said in late April, via The Athletic. "It just depends — I just gotta feel it."

SN's MLB HQ: Live MLB scores | Updated MLB standings | Full MLB schedule

Why did Juan Soto leave the Yankees?

In the end, the Mets' offer was more money than the Yankees', even though his former team offered him just $5 million less and one year more in the initial numbers. However, that doesn't include the perks of the Mets contract, which includes a chance to earn at least $40 million more over the course of the Mets contract.

With that said, there were some reports after Soto signed with the Mets of how the outfielder preferred the Mets beyond just the money. Jon Heyman reported that Soto dealt with an incident where Yankees security didn't treat his family well, while Jeff Passan reported that Soto believes the Mets have a brighter future than the Yankees.

Juan Soto contract

In December of 2024, Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million with the Mets, which is not only the richest contract in baseball history but also the largest contract in American sports history.

As part of the contract, Soto has an opt-out after five years that the Mets can void by adding another $40 million to the final 10 years of the deal, which would bring the total value of the deal to $805 million.

Juan Soto stats

Despite all of Soto's controversies so far, he is still putting up solid numbers as one of the better hitters on the team. Here's a look at Soto's stats in his first season with the Mets:

Stats as of May 20

• Games: 47
• BA: .246
• OPS:.815
• HR: 8
• RBI: 20
• SB: 6
• H: 42
• BB: 37
• R: 33