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
Less fly balls to drop in left.
It was a small sample size. Which means the batting average etc is less useful in such a small sample size. If you look at his BABIP, exit velocity, almost every underlying metric says he was the same hitter as he was in AA.
The Opposition: just continue to hit the ball to leftfield. Let’s face it this clown ain’t ever winning a Gold Glove out there. Lol
Don’t forget about being grossly over paid
10cent: you’re sure?
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.
pa
“His arm would be better suited in right, which is where the stronger arms are placed.”
But arm isn’t the only factor
Arm+time to get to the ball is also a factor
If the new RFer can get to the ball quicker, they can get the ball in faster than Soto even with a weaker arm
Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe RF at Citifield has a larger area to cover than LF. At least we shouldn’t see runners on 3rd successfully tag up on a shallow fly ball to left like I saw consistently with Nimmo’s wet noodle for an arm. Loved Nimmo but I swear I saw one instance where he dribbled the ball in from the grass on the infield.
@mikeyny throwing left handed makes a difference because the majority of balls driven to the corner outfielders are always slicing outward. If you are a LF and have the glove on your left hand, it means you have to reach across your body to make a catch. The opposite is true of RF with the glove on your right arm.
Now, I wouldn’t say that Soto will suddenly be good. But maybe less bad? lol
It’s not grasping at straws. He is not their “best arm.” Carson Benge has a much better arm, and he will be playing RF. Soto has a decent arm and bad range. LF is perfect and Soto will do fine there.
Benge has a cannon
@enc1n0 And he has accuracy too.
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.
LOLmikey
“trying to pretend he can play defense so they don’t look like idiots for paying him that much.”
This says something about how your mind works, but nothing about how the Mets’ F/O thinks
All three teams?
@mikeyny: You have a number of things wrong here:
* Soto’s deal is around $50 million a year, not $70 million
* Soto is moving over because the Mets best position player prospect is Carson Benge, and he’s an outfielder
* “Judge is that good defensively”? Then why did they immediately move him back to right field the second they could?
* Yankees were offering Soto a very similar deal to the Mets. Soto chose the organization that catered better to him. You’re just coping because the Yankees screwed it up and lost him
He couldn’t go to LF because it’s the harder position to play in YS.
And grossly over paying 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.
Fever- not at Yankee Stadium. Trust me it’s like the Bermuda Triangle out there. Even Yankee home players get lost out there.
In some ballparks you can hide a terrible fielder in LF; the Sox did it with Manny for years
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.
Right field needs a better arm.
This is a common fallacy among GMs. Far more balls in play are hit to LF making LF the more important defensive position. The savants have been getting this wrong for nearly 2 decades now
OneTimer: you’re the first commenter to make this important point.
One – I’m not an analytics guy at all, but fact is the CF will cover more of left CF because more balls do get hit toward left …. so the number of opportunities for the LF is basically a wash.
This has been a general rule for over a century, if you need to “hide” a fielder you put them in LF. That’s why poor defensive players from Jim Rice to Manny Ramirez were put in LF.
Im not counting balls that CF plays. LF plays more balls than RF by a pretty significant margin. Rice and Ramirez were in LF because of the green monster.
One – According to this article, right fielders received 1,600 more catchable balls over a 2-year period than left fielders.
mlb.com/news/statcast-looks-at-value-of-center-fie…
“Over the past two years, center fielders have received about 4,000 more catchable balls than right fielders and nearly 5,600 more catchable balls than left fielders.”
Well damn. Thats changed significantly over the past decade. Must be because of the increased velocity on fastballs
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”.
Chuckynj: it does kind’ve seem that way, doesn’t it?
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.
I liked everything until the last sentence. People are sleeping on the fact Vientos has a lot of experience at 1B in the minors. Unless Stearns made the comment outright I think Polanco will be tested in ST but wouldn’t be surprised to see Vientos handle the majority of 1B this season.
Perhaps we will see a lot of Vientos at 1B this year. But the same could be true of Baty, who is more athletic and a good size for a 1B stretch.
Metsfan: lots of exaggerations but some good points, agreed.
Fair points and can see I triggered a lengthy response. We’ll see how things pan out this year. It’s now truly Stearns roster and farm system. Stearns and Cohen agreed to a plan since coming on board. They’ve stuck to the plan. They did not trade away the farm in 2024/2025 to chase the Dodgers. They now have pitching prospect depth in the upper minors to lean on more than journeyman in years past that should allow greater roster flexibility in 2026 and beyond to spend on FA acquisitions. The core was on the wrong side of 30 and outside of 2024 did not produce. Injuries are outside of the GM’s control but depth is. The Dodgers continue to be in another Stratosphere than all other teams but aside from Pete I’m not as down as most fans. While Cohen can pay as much as he wants, he’s a prudent long term investor and understands risk/reward better than almost any person in the US. The future is bright for the Mets while still being competitive today.
Stearns has been absolutely horrendous so far when you consider the resources he has to work with
Stearns said that as an excuse to not keep alonso. The rest of the moves he can mostly PR spin
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.
He does not have a weak arm, his arm is the one plus part of his game. He will hold his own in LF, which has much smaller dimensions than RF at Citi.
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.
he basically bought LRJ, i really had high hopes for Acuna but seems like he might have been a dud. I hope he does well but there is potential upside for LRJ Acuna was in a super crowded logjam between what is on the mlb roster and what was coming up at the time and probably would have been designated..
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?
Under! Put me down for a cool milly.
Not a bad estimate. I’d say by age 31 which speaks to your number.
I like the move to LF. Whatever helps the team play better overall
DRS 🙂
Next stop dh next year
They’re moving him to left field so he can be behind Bichette playing 3rd base.
There was all the talk about trying Baty in left…what happens now? Do they hope to get Baty 400 at bats between DH and third? First? Now that LIndor may miss time, Mets might be walking in mud. If Polanco doesn’t hit and Lindor’s out, things may get ugly. Bichette to short and Baty to third ? The “run prevention” slogan of Stearns is looking more and more like PR fluff.
No matter what move is being discussed, Alonso keeps getting put back in there.
Scooping balls is what every first baseman in the league does. It’s not like he has a corner in the market for that skill.
His range was terrible by all metrics. His arm and throw choices put pitchers in harms way by making them cross the bag. He refused to throw underhand when appropriate.
Solid bat, but if scooping is all he did, and that’s all that folks seem to mention, that’s not a good argument to have him play first.
But this article is about Soto’s move to LF. Most of his problems in range were due to his back hand. Lefthanded batters tend to have a spin that makes it more difficult to judge backhand side.
And his throws to third were hit and miss based on his body positioning and the time getting to the ball.
In left field, he can favor the glove side and Robert can cover the back hand a bit. His arm becomes a weapon at second and third rather than just second.
Saying that coaches, managers and GMs have it wrong about LF versus RF is a bit odd since the managers’ eyes and the data show that a poorer fielder in RF often does significantly better in LF.
Jdaw: sure would be a fine thing if you’re right. What about my boy Baty? Does he have the arm for right? If he doesn’t play outfield, then he’s looking at DH with occasional 3b? First? Scooping: that’s got to be quantified somewhere and I’ll grant you all the negatives about Alonso but he was definitely better than average at scooping throws.
I don’t disagree, Joel, but I think it is likely some home bias that Met fans think he was better than other first baseman at scooping.
Being a Met fan in exile from NY, I didn’t get to see him everyday, but he was decent at scooping. But so are 20 other first baseman (or more).
It doesn’t nearly offset the horrific throws that put pitchers and second basemen, catchers in harms way. He had horrific range, though he made some excellent plays as well. So did Soto. But no one is arguing any facet about of his was a net positive.
Lastly, he pushed back on DHing with management.
But my biggest point is that no matter who we are talking about, someone brings up Alonso. Bichette, then why not Alonso; Semien, then why not Alonso; if Robert, why not Alonso. Polanco, who will take the brunt of the vitriol of Met fans over Alonso.
They don’t see the other side of what HE did to find his way to the door. He is not innocent disregarding his defense.
This article was about Soto’s move to LF. Alonso is a moot presence in the thread
Jdaw: Sad but true: anybody in left will have a far better arm than Nimmo. As I recall, his arm was ok when he came up but it became weak.
Nimmo was not a good route taker and had lost a step as well.
Benge is going to be there quite soon. No need to bring in anyone else. Give Baty, Benge and Taylor the reps out there (Morabito, Melendez, Ramos, Clifford and Ewing can work in center and left…)
And for Joe Brady, are you a Boston fan?
Jdaw: You imply we won’t see a Luis Robert rejuvenation.
Not at all. Mostly talking left and right here. Just mentioned Ewing and others can get reps in spring everywhere since Soto will be with DR in the WBC. Robert is only going to get 4 innings and a few at bats in early spring. So Baty, Benge and Clifford in RF, Robert, Ewing and Taylor (and RF) in CF, Melendez, Clifford, Ramos, I guess Young in LF.
Whereas Brujan, Mauricio, Arroyo, Ewing, Rojas, Kessinger get reps at SS and 2b. Then Bichette, Arroyo, Baty maybe, Reimer get the reps at 3rd.
Polanco, Baty, Clifford and Vientos man first base.
Most starters only get two at bats a game. Everyone else fills in.
Baty, Ewing, Brujan, Mauricio need to be flexible where they play.
Great move. It’s a matter of staying healthy. He’ll be here for many more years to come and LF is usually safer than RF. Let’s go Mets!!!
McLean for Abreu?
Soto and Adell were RF Gold Glove finalists in ’24.
765 million to hit and hopefully not hurt the team too much anywhere else.
Angels: hard to believe…apparently was considered controversial at the time.