Mets outfielder Juan Soto will have a new position this season. President of baseball operations David Stearns announced that Soto will move to left field, according to multiple reports. He was New York’s primary right fielder in 2025. The 27-year-old is entering the second year of the $765MM mega deal he signed with the club.
Stearns mentioned comfort as being a factor in the decision. Soto will also be playing left field for Team Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He’s logged more than 4,000 innings at the position as a big leaguer.
The switch means the Mets’ outfield will look completely different in 2026. Soto will slide over to the void left by longtime left fielder Brandon Nimmo, who was traded to the Rangers. Trade acquisition Luis Robert Jr. will take over in center field. Tyrone Taylor took the majority of reps there last year, followed by trade deadline addition Cedric Mullins. Taylor may be headed back to a fourth outfielder role. Mullins signed with the Rays. Part-time outfielder Jeff McNeil is now an Athletic, while Starling Marte is a free agent.
Soto is no stranger to left field. He debuted at the position with Washington in 2018 and held down the spot through the shortened 2020 season. Soto moved to right field in 2021 after the club signed Kyle Schwarber. He remained there in 2022, which was split between the Nationals and the Padres. San Diego slotted Soto in left field the following season. He’s been back in right field the past two years while playing for both New York teams.
The defensive grades for Soto have typically been underwhelming. He’s at -14 Defensive Runs Saved for his career in left field. In the opposite corner, he’s been at -5 DSR. Soto has two productive defensive seasons on the ledger, one apiece at each spot. He was credited with +3 DSR and +5 Outs Above Average in 2019 as a left fielder. In 2021, it was a +6 DSR and a +4 OAA in right field. Soto finished second in NL MVP voting that year.
Soto ranked in the first percentile in OAA (-15) and arm value (-5) last season. He spent 1,374 innings in right field. His -7 DSR was his worst performance since the 2020 campaign. Soto’s -13 Fielding Run Value was tied with Jo Adell for the second-lowest mark among qualified defenders, ahead of only Edgar Quero.
Shifting Soto to left field doesn’t seem to be a hint regarding the right field job. Taylor has been a plus defender at all three spots. Recent signee MJ Melendez has put in solid work at both corners. Top prospect Carson Benge has spent time at each outfield position during his time in the minors, but he’s primarily been a center fielder.
Jorge Castillo of ESPN was among the reporters to relay Stearns’ comments about the position switch. Joel Sherman of the New York Post mentioned the details about Soto playing left field in the WBC and being comfortable there.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Benge time is near
He’s far from MLB ready.
lol
This announcement came out of well…. Left field.
Feels like this has potential to get the most out of his excellent arm and let him control the running game/get outfield assists, since LF is closer to 3B. Plus this puts the foul line on his glove side now, and with Roberts in CF he shouldn’t have to be as concerned with covering balls in the gap. Seems like a sensible move to try and maximize the value from the biggest-money player.
What??? You’re grasping at straws here. You always put your best arm in RF. This is simply a last ditch effort to see if a change in position can help his awful defense before turning him into a full time DH.
His arm in RF isn’t as helpful with his bad range. I think LF gives him more chances at making a positive impact in the field than RF does (even if his net is negative).
Range in left is no different that right regarding glove work. His arm would be better suited in right, which is where the stronger arms are placed.
Damn, NYC rent must really be out of control.
Nahh, it’s the history of LOLmets.
A player switching positions is LOLMets? Didn’t Aaron Judge slide over to CF to accommodate Soto, then went back to RF when the Yankees bungled the negotiations and lost Soto to the Mets? Is that a double LOLYankees?
Yeah. Judge moved to accommodate Soto because Judge is just that good defensively. Who is Soto accommodating with this move? No one. He’s accommodating his own horrendous defense. The LOLMets are paying a Full time DH $70M/year for 15 years and trying to pretend he can play defense so they don’t look like idiots for paying him that much. LOL
That’s why everyone with money bid on him.
What do you all think is the more important position defensively, left or right field?
RF if only because of the throw to 3B.
Yep. A misplay possibly turns into a triple
@Oppo nacho Right Field, most hitters are better if they are left handed in my opinion
Right
Depends in part on the stadium. In Coors Field you need a LF who can cover ground like a CF. Not so much in places like Houston with a small LF.
Guapo – LF is the 2nd-easiest position behind only 1B.
In this specific case, Nimmo was a very bad LF with minimal range and one of the worst arms in the league, so swapping Soto in for him won’t be much of a change for the Mets. With Robert in CF and Taylor/Benge in RF, the Mets defense will improve.
Interesting
It is sort of funny that Stearns preached the Mets getting better at run prevention, and they’re fielding multiple players at positions they never played. That being said, I think they’ll rake all year.
“Run prevention” is corporate-speak for “we bought all the most expensive players without any clue about their natural position”.
I agree, Von, but the Mets defense was so bad last year that I think they’ll actually be much better at run prevention than last year.
For example, they had two poor defensive OFs last year with Nimmo and Soto. Now they only have one. Semien is an upgrade over McNeil. Bichette/Baty is an upgrade over Vientos/Baty. And whatever they put at 1B (Polanco, Baty, Bichette) has a good shot at being better than Pete. I don’t think they’ll be a ‘good’ defensive team, but they’ll be better than last year.
Barring injury, Juan Soto is likely a first ballot hall of famer, but by 2029 he will probably be a full-time DH.
Soto… soon to be DH or bench warming with Lindor.
Go Mutz!!!
DH by 2030 at the latest. We’ll see how long that bat stays elite.
He can’t field and his arm is weak so no offense. I mean God he can hit but he’s basically like Manny Ramirez out there. Just make him a DH watch the hits pile up and sale tickets and jerseys.
Kyle Tucker would’ve looked good in RF. 🙂
Carson Benge will look good in CF by 2027 if not sooner considering Luis Robert Jr.’s injury history. Benge also has the arm to patrol RF and figures to get reps there this season if Robert Jr. stays healthy.
Robert Jr. still has one more option year available for 2027 and will undoubtedly get it picked up by the Mets if he returns to his All-Star 2023 form this season. The Mets can then figure out where Benge is best suited between CF and RF with Robert Jr. playing the other position.
If we have baseball in 2027 he’ll be the Mets full time DH by start of the 2nd half
Over under on full time dh is what… 3.5 years?