Mendoza on Soto: "He's mortal, he'll adjust back"

A day after saying that he would communicate his attitude to the match with Juan Soto, Mets head coach Carlos Mendoza declined to give details of the conversation or even confirm if an exchange had taken place. But he paints a picture of a superstar saddled with a $765 million contract still adjusting to his new surroundings.

"He's mortal, he's only 26 years old," Mendoza said on Tuesday, "and he's going to be fine, he's Juan Soto, after all." "

In the past few days, Soto has been questioned for his attitude towards the two base runs in the Bronx on Sunday and Boston on Monday. He was not interviewed after Sunday's game, only responding on Monday: "I think I've been fighting hard and I can see it when I watch it. "

These episodes have heightened concerns about his adaptation to the new club. Mendoza attributed Soto's comments to the pressure of results: "A new team, a record-breaking contract, expectations – even if he has been at the top with a championship team, it's still new. It's our job to help him make the transition. "

The data confirms the pains of adaptation: in the first two months of this season, Soto hit 0.246/0.376/0.439, far below the career level of 0.285/0.421/0.532. In the locker room on Tuesday, multiple televisions were playing baseball showing his recent performance.

"Huge contracts are bound to bring the spotlight," Mendoza admits, "and as a superstar, his every move is magnified." But I believe he's just missing expectations for the time being, and he's still a top player at heart. "