“Juan Soto’s been abysmal!” - Ex-NFLer Boomer Esiason dumbfounded by outfielder’s “ugly” play, questions Mets’ $765,000,000 investment

The New York Mets have been going through a slump since the All-Star break last month, and many have been critical of All-Star slugger Juan Soto. Former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason is the latest to take aim at the Mets star.

Soto signed a $765 million deal, the largest contract in North American sports history, with the Mets in the offseason. However, the former World Series winner has failed to live up to expectations since then.

After the Mets' 4-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, former NFL quarterback Esiason ripped Soto's form and his behaviour at the plate.

"His last, I don't know, want to say three weeks, since the All-Star break, he's been abysmal," Esiason said in Thursday's episode of WFAN’s 'Boomer and Gio' show (5:00 onwards).

The lifelong Mets fan also accused Soto of not being a leader in the clubhouse despite being given the same facilities as Barry Bonds and other MLB greats.

"He's popular in the locker room and I'm sure you know the fact that his family's got a suite, and it's got all the trappings of being the superstar that the way they treated Barry Bonds, the way they treated Alex Rodriguez, the way they treated, Mark McGwire, the way they treated Sammy Sosa," Esiason said.

Esiason highlighted a play from Soto in the outfield during the series finale on Wednesday, alleging the All-Star outfielder's lack of hustle allowed Gabriel Arias to get an extra base for his RBI triple.

"You make this kind of money and you put forth what seems to be a very average effort. I mean, it's just ugly, it's absolutely ugly and it's unexpected."

Former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason dismisses Juan Soto's leadership skills

Juan Soto's Mets contract set the MLB record by surpassing Shohei Ohtani's $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Boomer Esiason said Soto is not a leader like Ohtani or New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge.

“Your highest-paid player, whether it be Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani or, in this case, Juan Soto, has to lead the team. They have to set the example. If that’s the guy making $760 million and he’s supposed to be a leader, I’m not following that guy.”

The Mets have lost eight of their last nine games, surrendering the NL East top spot to the Philadelphia Phillies. Soto has been one of the contributors to the team's slide, batting .185 in his last 15 games.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash