It looked like a franchise-changing moment when Juan Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets in December 2024. He had just posted a 7.9 WAR season with the Yankees, crushing 41 home runs, driving in 109, and slashing .288/.419/.569. The Mets got their superstar. The Yankees, seemingly, lost him.
Five months later, the Yankees lead the AL East at 25–18, while the Mets sit atop the NL East at 28–16. This weekend marks the first meeting of the season between the Yankees and Mets, with Soto returning to Yankee Stadium in a Mets uniform for the first time since signing his record deal.
Soto’s production in Queens has yet to match what he did in pinstripes. Through 43 games with the Mets, he’s slashing .255/.380/.465 with eight home runs, 20 RBI, and a 1.7 WAR. His signature power is intact, but the run production hasn’t followed. Batting second in a lineup that hasn’t clicked around him, Soto is pacing for under 80 RBI—his lowest full-season projection since his abbreviated 2020 campaign.
That dip isn’t entirely on him. Soto’s elite walk rate puts him on base often, but he hasn’t consistently hit with runners in scoring position. His slugging percentage, while still strong, is nearly 100 points lower than last year’s .569 mark with the Yankees. Defensively, Soto remains a liability. While he does not commit many errors on the balls he is able to get to, his range factor has consistently fallen below league average, and negative advanced metrics like Total Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved paint a clear picture.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have replaced Soto’s bat with defense, speed, and depth. Aaron Judge, Alex Verdugo, and Jasson Dominguez form a more athletic outfield, and the lineup has stayed productive through rotation and platoons. With Giancarlo Stanton’s contract winding down and Verdugo in a walk year, the designated hitter spot remains open for 2026 flexibility or strategic additions.
The acquisition of Cody Bellinger this offseason and Trent Grisham, who is with the Yankees in his second season, helped the outfield depth of the team just north of Manhattan.
Matching Soto’s megadeal could have complicated roster construction alongside Judge, whose own timeline and health already shape how the Yankees operate. Instead, they’ve preserved cap space and stayed below the highest tax bracket, setting themselves up to target players like Kyle Tucker or Corbin Burnes next year while remaining aggressive at this summer’s trade deadline.
The first ever #RivalryWeekend is here!
-Juan Soto makes his return to The Bronx for the Subway Series
-Chris Sale and Garrett Crochet toe the mound in Boston
-The Twins carry their 11-game winning streak into MilwaukeeGear up for the start of Rivalry Weekend ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/2qffLT83gS
— MLB (@MLB) May 16, 2025
Soto may still catch fire in Flushing. But this weekend, he’ll return to Yankee Stadium with the Mets for a three-game series beginning Friday night at 7:05. The crosstown matchup continues Saturday afternoon at 1:05 and wraps Sunday night in primetime at 7:10. Both teams are chasing division titles, and the city’s baseball spotlight will once again split down the East River. Unless this is a World Series—or World Baseball Classic—preview, fans won’t get many more chances to see Soto and Judge go head-to-head in 2025, especially in the Bronx.
Maybe the rivalry’s mystique has taken a new turn. Both clubs are dead even, with a record of 31-31 in a series split since June 8, 2012, for both the orange and blue and the men in pinstripes heading into Friday night’s showdown.
For now, the Yankees look like the team better built to last.
New York Mets’ Juan Soto greets fans before a baseball game against the New York Yankees Friday, May 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
