New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is going to try and land a contract worth north of $500M this offseason and after putting up a career high in homers (40 and counting) while slashing .287/.417/.576, so far this year, he’s likely to get the dollar amount he demands.
When he went yard in Seattle on Tuesday, Soto achieved the feat of homering in every MLB ballpark — at the age of 25. However, despite his brilliance on the diamond, he revealed a possible flaw in his mentality when he talked about his accomplishment:
“It’s one of the goals I’ve really put [thought] into in my career,” Soto said, per the New York Post’s Greg Joyce. “When I got to this year, being in the American League now, I was like, ‘I have a really good chance to do it.’ So right when I hit it, I was like, ‘Oh finally, I got the last one.’”
Now, there’s nothing wrong with celebrating a personal accomplishment. But someone who wants a payday of more than half a billion dollars should at least create the perception that he’s focused on team success over solo glory.
To get a better perspective, compare Soto’s approach to that of his outfield companion Aaron Judge. When Judge went homeless for 16 games recently, he pretended not to realize how long it had been.
Perhaps shaming Soto for self-promotion in a contract year is a little harsh, but will fans really want to endure a decade of Soto excessively celebrating bases on balls for around $50M a year if he’s not clearly putting the team first?
