Juan Soto's Claim About Who Mets Ace is Raises Eyebrows

New York Mets star Juan Soto shared an interesting stance about his team's ace.

Juan Soto speaks to the media | IMAGO / NurPhoto

After the New York Mets traded for former Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta earlier in this offseason, there was a lot of chatter about whether he or Nolan McLean would get the nod on Opening Day.

Both Peralta and McLean would be the ace on most teams' pitching staffs. And while having two ace-caliber arms in one rotation is a good problem to have, there was still a lot of intrigue about which of these guys would be seen as the ace by Carlos Mendoza and the rest of the Mets' organization.

As for now, Peralta is starting on Opening Day, but this could also be a byproduct of McLean making two starts for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, which altered his timeline for the regular season.

However, at least one Mets player believes neither McLean nor Peralta is the team's ace at this point.

New York Mets starting pitcher Freddy Peralta | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Juan Soto's Kodai Senga 'Ace' Claim Turns Heads at Mets Spring Training

Mets slugger Juan Soto spoke with the media after his team's March 29 spring training game against the Houston Astros, which New York won by a score of 6-2. Kodai Senga continued his excellent spring, throwing four scoreless innings and racking up 4 strikeouts on just 3 hits and 1 walk.

When asked what it would mean for the Mets if Senga could pitch at a high level this season, Soto said, "That's our ace. I mean, if he stays healthy, he's gonna help the team to go all the way. Definitely, he has the stuff to do it, he's just gotta try to keep himself [in] the game," per an X post from SNY.

"That's our ace"

- Juan Soto on Kodai Senga pic.twitter.com/mKkmU2f4Uq

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 20, 2026

These comments have gone viral, with many Mets fans scratching their heads about Soto deeming Senga as the team's ace. While this would have been the correct sentiment in 2024, the team now has two pitchers who are clearly more suited for that "ace" label.

Perhaps Soto was just trying to give Senga some confidence and show his belief in the 33-year-old Japanese pitcher, which he deserves credit for.

What's for certain is that if Senga does pitch like an ace this season (as he has been doing throughout this spring), the Mets should have one of the best rotations in the National League to pair with their already elite offense.

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