Juan Soto Trade Buzz Peaks: Yankees, Dodgers Emerge as MLB Blockbuster Front-Runners

NEW YORK — Juan Soto’s first trip back to Yankee Stadium in a Mets uniform delivered the kind of theater only New York baseball can stage. The 26-year-old superstar, who stunned the sport last December by signing a record-shattering 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets, soaked in a cascade of boos from 47,700 fans on May 17 before finishing 0-for-2 with three walks in a 6-2 loss to the Yankees. Mets vs. Yankees rivalry reignited New York’s baseball civil war already crackles every summer, but Soto’s jump across town has super-charged the matchup. The outfielder spent just one season in pinstripes, helping the Yankees to an ALCS berth in 2024 before opting for Steve Cohen’s mega-offer. Yankees fans haven’t forgiven him, and each of Soto’s five plate appearances drew sustained jeers—an atmosphere Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called “postseason-level noise.” Soto’s 2025 numbers trending up Through June 24, Soto owns a .256 batting average with 17 home runs, 41 RBI and an .876 OPS, ranking top-20 in MLB despite a slow April. Eight of those homers have come in June, evidence that the left-handed slugger is rediscovering the elite barrel rates that made him a perennial MVP threat. His expected slugging percentage jumped from .430 in April to over 1.000 in mid-June, according to Statcast, and his chase rate remains among baseball’s lowest. Impact on NL East race and All-Star voting New York entered play Tuesday just 1.5 games behind Atlanta in the NL East, propelled by Soto’s hot month and Francisco Lindor’s bounce-back. Mets marketing has launched a “Send Soto to Atlanta” campaign for the July 15 All-Star Game, leaning on his league-leading walk total (59) and highlight-reel defense in right field. Fan voting closes June 30. What’s next on the schedule The Mets return to Citi Field on Friday to open a pivotal three-game series against the division-leading Braves, who have contained Soto to a .200 average in six meetings this year. Expect packed crowds: Sunday’s finale coincides with a reversible bucket-hat giveaway that sold out in 48 hours. After that, New York embarks on a nine-game West Coast swing through Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco—three parks where Soto owns a lifetime OPS above 1.000. Long-term ramifications of the $765 million gamble Soto’s contract is baseball’s richest by total value, eclipsing the 14-year, $700 million pact Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers a year earlier. Front-office insiders note that the deal is heavily back-loaded, keeping the Mets’ 2025 luxury-tax hit manageable. Cohen’s willingness to spend is already reshaping market expectations for next winter’s free-agent class, headlined by Cleveland ace Shane Bieber. Fan sentiment: from boos to jersey sales While Yankee Stadium expressed its displeasure, Citi Field has embraced Soto fever. The Mets team store reports his No. 22 jersey outsells every other player three-to-one since Opening Day, and social-media engagement around Soto highlights ranks first among all MLB players in June. Bottom line Juan Soto’s Bronx return was only one night on a 162-game calendar, but the images of helmet-tipping amid boos perfectly captured the new reality of New York baseball: the National League’s most fearsome bat now resides in orange and blue. If his June power surge continues, the jeers might soon be drowned out by MVP chants in Queens—and by Mets fans booking October travel plans.