Mets' Juan Soto addresses leadership style after players-only meeting

Outfielder Juan Soto was among members of the New York Mets who spoke during a players-only meeting following the club's 9-2 loss at the Pittsburgh Pirates this past Saturday. 

During a recent chat with Laura Albanese of Newsday, Soto opened up about his leadership style amid the Mets' poor run of form that included falling from 45-24 to 48-37 ahead of July 1. 

"I have my own way about me," Soto explained. "Guys know who I am and how I handle myself being here. So, I don’t know what type of leader you want me to call myself [after speaking at the meeting]. I’ve never called myself a leader. I always call myself a rookie."

Soto signed a 15-year, $765M contract to join the Mets this past December. He later made it known he had "learned a lot of things" about "how to be a leader in that clubhouse in your own way" from former teammates. That said, the Mets were seemingly fine with letting Soto simply try to get comfortable with his new employer during what became a noteworthy springtime slump.

"I try to be open to everybody," Soto told Albanese. "But at the same time, I know we have a lot of pressure — everybody in here — and a lot of guys have to do their own thing. So me, putting more pressure, more thoughts of what I have going on, I don’t think it’s going to help. I keep it to myself."

Per ESPN stats, Soto slashed .322/.474/.722 with a 1.196 OPS, 11 home runs, 20 RBI and 25 walks in June. However, Bridget Hyland of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com noted that the Mets scored three or fewer runs in nine of their last 16 games, 13 of which were defeats. Less than 24 hours after the players-only meeting, the Mets suffered a 12-1 loss in Pittsburgh. 

Also on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of the MLB website shared how shortstop Francisco Lindor recently insisted a players-only meeting is "not like a magic thing" despite what the 2024 Mets experienced. Lindor calling a players-only meeting back on May 29 of last year was routinely credited for a turnaround that resulted in the Amazins completing a trip to the National League Championship Series. 

Lindor and Co. likely hope history will repeat itself, beginning with the Mets' three-game home series versus the Milwaukee Brewers (47-37) that gets underway on Tuesday night.