Port St Lucie, Florida – Juan Soto, that of the largest contract in the history of sport, presented itself on Sunday morning to his new job.
A little over two months have passed since the large shoulders signed this historic $ 765 million agreement over 15 years with New York dishes. Meanwhile, anticipation filled the void. Debates on the question of whether Soto “was worth” such an breathtaking sum dominated the titles, the waves and the sports bars. Fans of food impatiently bought their children from uniforms that are too expensive for Christmas. Winter time has trampled on the Citi field. The team continued to sign players. Soto has prepared for a season of astronomical expectations.
And by a windy day in February in eastern Florida, a new extravagant captivating era of the baseball of the Mets has seriously started.
SOTO, dressed in a completely black $ 190 sweatshirt and carrying a backpack of $ 3,350, arrived at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie around 7 am, the birds chopped peacefully in the morning lowered in dew while The hour of the hour was heading for the Spiffy Spring of Mets installation. A few fans who arrived early who arrived welcomed; Soto threw a boost. No fans of the Yankees made the trip to the cross -country to launch tomatoes.
“I am really happy to know where I am going to be for the next 15 years,” Soto told the members of the media after Sunday training. “More than delighted to pass it with this group of guys.”
As you would expect, Soto’s first day was light on baseball activities; The first full training session on Monday should bring a little more intensity. He worked in the inner stick cage, then spread alongside other position players on a rear field. While lifting, lines of fans in royal blue and orange rushed against the fence of the chain for an overview. A fan of particularly enthusiastic dishes praised the voltigger by shouting “Welcome to the team, Sir” and “Bring us to glory” at the top of his lungs.
Then Soto went to the main diamond for the practice of the striker, hordes of journalists and cameras rush in his wake. He launched a handful of moonlights on the eye of the black dough in the central field. Mostly impressive; Light work for Soto.
“It’s exciting,” said the food skipper Carlos Mendoza after training. “You might see it, everyone. There are many more cameras. As soon as he walked in the field, when he worked towards the cage, you could simply feel it. »»
The excitement included, the day was still somewhat without ceremony, strangely normal, rather ho-hum. It was almost as if Soto had already known Port St. Lucie for five years. There were no fireworks or Skywriting screen, no staging or opulence. Just a man very rich in baseball pants who go through movements.
This energy contrasts significantly with the meaning of Soto’s cross jump. His signature was a signal of intention of Steve Cohen, the richest owner of sport. For a century, the Big Apple belonged to the Yankees. But by committing a fortune to Soto, Cohen has broadcast in the world that he and the dishes embark on a quest to change the status quo.
But the scale of all of this – media threshing, expectations, money pulse gobs – none of this seems to have changed Soto. It is not particularly surprising since he extended the pressure since he was a teenager.
“I am here to be the same guy I have been since the first day,” he replied when he asked what type of role he will assume in the Mets clubhouse. “It’s Juan Soto, just with a different uniform.”
This unwavering bravado is part of what makes Soto such an impactful force. In match 1 of the 2019 World Series, as a member of the Washington Nationals, Soto took the AS Gerrit Cole Deep three days before it was old enough to buy a beer legally. During the 2024 Alcs, Soto sent his Yankees to the first class classic of the club in more than a decade with an additional circuit. In the biggest moments of the game, he did not hut or floated. He shines.
And while the environment of the first day of spring training is far from match 7 of the World Series, some of the characteristics which so often propel Soto to grandeur in October were already exhibited in February.
