Aug 8, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) warms up before game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Yankees official shuts down potential Juan Soto trade with Mets

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Aug 15, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Despite him having a very solid season by an average MLB player's metrics, there's no way to justify New York Mets slugger Juan Soto's season when considering that he's in the first year of a 15-year, $765 million deal.

Of course, some would say that the only way a player could justify a contract that provides an average of $51 million per year (not including any potential bonuses or other incentives) is by winning the NL MVP award every season. That was never a realistic outcome for Soto (or for anyone else). However, his .252 average, .878 OPS, and 29 home runs as of August 15 still leave a lot to be desired.

And it especially leaves a lot to be desired when one considers Soto's stats with the cross-town Yankees in 2024, which include him hitting .288 with a .988 OPS and 41 home runs during the regular season and then .327 with a 1.102 OPS and 4 home runs in the postseason.

Therefore, one can't claim that Soto is unable to perform under the bright lights of New York because he did exactly that at an MVP-caliber level just one season ago.

MLB Insider Asks Yankees Officials About Trading for Juan Soto

Perhaps Soto was always destined for more success if he'd remained in the Bronx. And perhaps there's a world where that could happen, in the form of the Yankees and Mets making a trade to correct Soto's decision from last offseason.

New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman seemed to have this in mind, as he wrote in an August 14 article that he asked more than one Yankees official if the team would consider trying to trade for Juan Soto.

The answer he received was no.

https://t.co/AmwElTCSt9. MLB notes: Jury’s out on Juan Soto’s crosstown move (so far both teams were better when Juan was in the Bronx). But here are two NY stars who hold some interest for the other team in town
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 15, 2025

And even if the Yankees were eager to try and trade for Soto, that doesn't mean the Mets would even consider giving up on the 26-year-old slugger less than one year into his decade-and-a-half-long deal.

Still, it's interesting to consider why exactly Soto hasn't been able to replicate the success he had last season during his first campaign in Queens.

What's for sure is that Soto could catch fire any game now, and could sustain that pace all the way to the postseason — taking the Mets along for the ride with him. And if that happens, everybody is going to forget about Soto's early and mid-season struggles.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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