Mike Francesa believed the New York Mets would welcome Juan Soto’s remarks to the New York Post. However, he overlooked Michael Kay’s feelings—a recurring theme for the Sports Pope. The voice of the New York Yankees has already reprimanded Bronx fans for chanting “F*ck Juan Soto” despite the Mets not facing the Yankees until May, and now he’s aimed his criticism directly at Soto.
When asked how pitchers have adjusted to him without Aaron Judge batting behind him, Soto noted that he experienced different pitching sequences last year and is now adapting. By stating a verifiable fact, as Jarrett Seidler of Baseball Prospectus pointed out, Soto became the latest focal point in a cycle of manufactured outrage, which Kay has eagerly joined.
Juan Soto is seeing a pitch in the heart of the zone with a runner on base just 16 percent of the time, per Baseball Savant.
Among players who have seen at least 100 pitches with a runner on base, Soto’s percentage of pitches seen in the heart of the zone ranks as the lowest.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) April 15, 2025
Kay responded on his The Michael Kay Show, saying, “You just signed this magnificent contract with the Mets, effectively sealing your fate with them for the next 15 years. You likely won’t play for another team unless there’s an unforeseen separation, which I don’t foresee. You can’t tell Mike Puma of The Post that you’re being pitched differently without the greatest hitter in baseball behind you. It was your choice, Juan. You could’ve spent the next seven years with Aaron Judge behind you, yet you chose otherwise. If I were a Mets fan, it would bother me that you seem to long for someone you’ve left. Moreover, it feels like a back-handed slap at Pete Alonso, who is hitting .345 with an OPS of 1.146 and has been fantastic at the plate. Teams are opting to pitch to him over you, so while your average sits at .250 and you’re drawing walks, you’ve also managed two home runs and six RBIs, including a two-run home run yesterday against the Twins.”
Soto hit his third home run of the season in a 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.
“I wonder why you’d even say this,” Kay continued. “Where is this pressure coming from, Juan? I haven’t heard Mets fans criticize you or express frustration due to your relatively slow start. Why insult your current team? One thing stands out in Juan’s comments: he knew the Yankees would be strong for the next six or seven years, but after that, he’s uncertain,” he remarked, referring to the duration left on Judge’s contract.
“Why’d you leave? Was it all over a suite you could afford? The Mets made you feel like family? When Juan was introduced at spring training as a Yankee, he wore a shirt that said ‘The Generation of Juan Soto,’ which is fitting because he’s a generational player who can put up stats akin to the greatest of all time. The best way to achieve that is to have the modern-day Ruth and Gehrig behind him for the next seven years, then worry about the years after. Who knows? Maybe Jasson Domínguez will be just as great by then and take the mantle from Judge, or perhaps the successor is still in high school.”
“You can’t predict the future. But here’s where it doesn’t make sense: when signing with the Mets, you had no way of knowing that Pete Alonso would be behind you. You likely thought Mark Vientos or Brandon Nimmo would be, none of whom compare to Aaron Judge. In fact, in all of baseball, only one player could provide similar lineup protection—[Shohei] Ohtani, who even offers protection for the No. 9 hitter on the Dodgers. I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve Cohen reaches out to Juan Soto saying, ‘Dude, shut up. What are you doing? We made you fabulously wealthy, and you’re pining for your old girlfriend?’ You broke up. It’s not like the Yankees didn’t want you. The Mets’ offer was better, but the Yankees also presented a fair deal. So now, you’re discussing not getting pitched the same way without the greatest hitter in baseball behind you? You didn’t see that coming? Aaron Judge is phenomenal—you experienced it firsthand when you had your best season and now you’re talking about it?”
Kay wrapped up by asserting that Soto truly has little to complain about, advising him to simply “pipe down.”
