Mets Stars Thrilled After Juan Soto Signing
For as much as the signing of Juan Soto has energized the Mets’ fanbase, the club’s star players are just as pumped to have an opportunity to play alongside a generational talent.
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In an exclusive interview with the New York Post’s Mike Puma, Brandon Nimmo expressed just how excited he was when he got the news that Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million pact with the Mets.
“I knew that David and Steve were doing whatever they could to bring him here,” Nimmo said. “When the news finally broke, just extreme jubilation. I sent text messages to [Stearns and Cohen] and said, ‘I can’t thank you enough for bringing him here.’”
Nimmo added that both Stearns and Cohen told him that they were planning a heavy pursuit of Soto at the beginning of the offseason. Those efforts, as we now know, have proved fruitful, which is rather poetic after the pair first discussed the possibility of signing him before Stearns was officially hired last year.
Soto declined overtures from the likes of the New York Yankees, whom he played for in 2024, as well as the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers in favor of setting up shop in Queens.
Nimmo was complementary of the efforts Cohen has made to change the narrative surrounding the Mets since he was approved as the franchise’s owner in late 2020, which largely peaked with the addition of Soto.
“It’s amazing how [Cohen] has changed things for Mets fans, Mets players and this organization,” Nimmo said. “It’s just a pivotal moment in his ownership and the history of the Mets franchise that he’s able to get a player away from the Yankees and a guy in his prime.
“Even when I was growing up, the Yankees always got the best players, they always bought the best players. It was just a common-known fact, and now you see something here where the Mets were able to bring [Soto] over. It’s a change to the way things have always been. I definitely think it is sweet to have done it this way.”
Per Newsday’s Tim Healey, the Mets made a big impression after Cohen’s son, Josh, made a video that “showed a version of the future featuring a Soto statue outside Citi Field next to the real-life Tom Seaver statue.” It was reportedly Soto’s favorite portion of the club’s presentation, and it’s evidence of the lengths they went to in order to land their guy.
Much has been made about Soto’s on-field aptitude and achievements. A five-time Silver Slugger and four-time All-Star with a World Series ring, career OPS of .953 and three finishes within the top-five of MVP voting at just 26-years-old, it’s fair to say that he’s well on his way to crafting a Hall of Fame-worthy resume.
Francisco Lindor wasn’t tasked with recruiting Soto, but what did stick out was his work ethic, reputation of being a family man and good teammate as well as his fierce desire to win, all of which fit the culture that the Mets are building.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Francisco Lindor made this happen,’” Lindor said, via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “No, that’s not how it goes. This is something that they probably talked through many times before they brought it up to me, and once they brought it up to me, I listened, and I said, ‘Well, I like the plan. Let’s see how everything plays out.’
“I did my homework, and all the stuff I heard about [Soto] was fantastic. He’s a hard worker, someone that cares about his craft, someone that cares about his winning, someone that cares about his family, someone that cares about his teammates and somebody that wants to continue to get better. That’s the Mets. It sounds like the Mets. It sounds like the culture I wanted to build, be a part of. I think he’s the right man for the job.”
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