Could Juan Soto's Aaron Judge comment bother Mets teammates amid Pete Alonso's hot streak?

Shortly before New York Mets All-Star outfielder Juan Soto ended what had been a drought of 13 games without a home run in Monday's 5-1 win at the Minnesota Twins that improved the Mets to 11-5 on the season, he made an interesting comment about his slowish start to the campaign while speaking with Mike Puma of the New York Post. 

"It’s definitely different," Soto said about the pitches he's seen this spring compared to what he experienced while with the New York Yankees in 2024. "I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me. I was getting more attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks and things like that. I was pitched differently last year." 

Soto, of course, was referencing Yankees captain Aaron Judge, half of the dynamic one-two punch that guided the Bronx Bombers to the 2024 American League pennant. Soto left the Yankees in free agency to sign a 15-year, $765M contract that could exceed $800M total offered by the Mets. Jon Heyman of the New York Post is among those who believe the 26-year-old should have kept his comments about Judge and the Mets’ lineup protection "to himself" regardless of his early season frustrations. 

"At these prices," Heyman said, "shouldn’t Juan Soto think he’s the best hitter in the game? Or at the very least, not publicly suggest he misses having the 'best hitter in the game' hit behind him?"

An understandable worry is that Soto's words may not sit well with current teammates, such as first baseman Pete Alonso, who is thriving while sharing a lineup with the advertised generational talent.