On October 19, 2024, Juan Soto permanently ingratiated himself into the depths of Yankees playoff lore with a go-ahead three-run home run in the 10th inning of a would-be clinching ALCS Game 5 against Hunter Gaddis and the Guardians.
Soto, who had already had a memorable year as a rental following a December 2023 trade from San Diego, sent the Yankees to the World Series in dramatic fashion with a swing that satiated a Yankees fanbase starved of iconic playoff moments since 2009.
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Sunday marked one year since Soto’s triumphant swing, the culmination of a year that felt like a match made in heaven. Soto’s first year in a Mets uniform was disappointing – though of no fault of his own – and the 26-year-old’s legacy is now starting to take form.
New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates after beating the Cleveland Guardians during game five of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field.David Richard-Imagn Images
Fans reminisced on Soto’s blast, which sailed into the Cleveland night over the head of dejected center fielder Lane Thomas to put the final nail in the coffin on Cleveland’s season.
Jared Carrabis, who hosts the Baseball is Dead podcast, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Soto should have never left the Yankees.
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Despite the Yankees’ ALDS loss to the Blue Jays, the squad looked far more complete and unified than Soto’s Mets, who failed to even make the playoffs.
Soto took a contract with the Mets with one fewer year, a higher average annual value (AAV), escalators to a significantly higher overall ceiling, and more perks for Soto’s family, which the superstar is said to have preferred.
However, one year after Soto capped off a dream season for the Yankees, a year in which he seemed to fall in love with the team and the fans just as much as they did with him, Soto’s legacy is in question.
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Soto’s individual performance with the Mets eclipsed that of 2024, and the outfielder more than tripled his previous career high in stolen bases, adding another dimension to his play en route to a 40 home run, 38 stolen base campaign, and his third straight season with an OPS above .900.
Soto blasted two more home runs in Queens than he did in the Bronx, but the Mets punted on this year, looking to retool with a younger core in 2026.
The question remains: is the contract working for Soto, and the Mets? He certainly earned his $51 million valuation, though he took major steps back in both outs above average (OAA) and arm value, going from the 17th and 91st percentile respectively in 2024 to the 1st and 18th.
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It is only in the context of hindsight that Soto’s decision to join the Mets, a decision that didn’t seem to work out for either side in 2025, that his postseason triumphs with the Yankees, the final dance in a brief relationship, look bittersweet.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.