Juan Soto hit .274/.393/.522 with a .915 OPS and 27 home runs in 108 games this season. And yet, on September 24, he sat down with Mike Puma of the New York Post and said there’s nobody to blame but himself for a Mets team that finished 73-86 — out of the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
The numbers aren’t the problem. The $765 million contract and the expectations of an entire city just hit different.
What Soto Said, Unfiltered
The interview came before the Mets lost 3-1 to the Texas Rangers, one of the final games of a season that had been spiraling since June. Soto didn’t dodge a thing.
«It’s definitely not what I imagined in my head. There is nothing I can do other than blame myself. I have got to be better. I have got to be at the level to take us forward,» he told Puma.
What makes that statement striking isn’t the accountability — plenty of players take the blame. What’s striking is that he said it while sitting on a 100th-percentile xwOBA and a 94th-percentile exit velocity, per Baseball Savant. The radar data says Soto is still hitting like one of the best batters on the planet. The problem is he only got to do it in 108 of a possible 162 games.
Two Injuries, One Collapsed Team
April came first: a right calf strain sent him to the IL and cost him 15 games. July and August were worse — a Grade 2 left calf injury kept him out for nearly a full month, right when the Mets decided to sell at the trade deadline instead of buy.
Without Soto in the lineup, the team fell apart. The offseason additions — Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Marcus Semien, signed for a combined $105 million — batted a collective .218/.282/.308 through the first two months. Francisco Lindor suffered his own calf injury. On June 26, David Stearns fired manager Carlos Mendoza; Andy Green stepped in as interim and eventually signed a three-year deal.
The Mets were officially eliminated on September 14 — with two weeks still left on the schedule. They finished last in the NL East.
The Contradiction: The Best Soto Possible in the Mets’ Worst Year
Here’s what makes Soto’s self-criticism uncomfortable: when he was available, he was the same hitter he’s always been. His xwOBA of .410 ranks in the 100th percentile — that’s what Statcast projects he should be producing based purely on the quality of his contact. An average exit velocity of 92.6 mph puts him in the 94th percentile. There’s no bat decline here. What changed was availability.
And availability, on a $765 million contract built on the promise of a World Series run, becomes the loudest variable when the team goes 73-86.
Soto also looked ahead, and in that part of the conversation he was less self-critical and more forward-looking: «We have a young core and we have to keep them and encourage them on the right path, the right path toward the future. I think we’re going in the right direction,» he told Puma, pointing to Carson Benge, Nolan McLean, and A.J. Ewing as the foundation he wants Stearns and owner Steve Cohen to build the next cycle around.
His contract includes an opt-out clause after 2029. If anything makes winning soon feel urgent, it’s that.
The Numbers Behind the Name
- Plate appearances: 467
- Home runs: 27 | RBI: 68
- Slash line: .274/.393/.522 | OPS: .915
- xwOBA: .410 — 100th percentile
- Exit velocity: 92.6 mph — 94th percentile
- Barrel rate: 13.9% — 92nd percentile
- Hard-hit rate: 48% — 85th percentile
- Squared-up rate: 96th percentile
- Chase rate (discipline): 96th percentile
- Bat speed: 72.5 mph avg
- Sprint speed: 11th percentile
The Statcast profile of a true elite hitter — and a man taking the blame for a team that had far bigger problems than his bat.
