Inside The Mets

Stephen A. Smith asserts Juan Soto's 'vibe' has diminished with Mets

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith didn't mince words when speaking about Juan Soto's tenure with the New York Mets.
Grant Young|
Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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New York MetsNew York Yankees

Even though New York Mets slugger Juan Soto's return to Yankee Stadium was a week ago at this point, it's still a major talking point within the baseball community.

Of course, this was largely because fans were fascinated to see how Soto would respond to three straight games of passionate boos from Yankees fans after he decided to sign with the Mets instead of them in free agency this past offseason.

And while Soto didn't seem too bothered by these boos, him only going 1-10 throughout the three-game set left a lot to be desired for the Mets' fan base.

Soto's struggles during the series (which have been exacerbated by his slow start to the 2025 season) have many pundits talking. Another example of this is with ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, who spoke about Soto during a May 22 episode of First Take.

After Chris ”Mad Dog” Russo went on a rant about Soto's performance to this point in the season, Stephen A. Smith (who is a notorious Yankees fan) said, "Why would I be upset [at Soto]? He's not a Yankee. He didn't do that in a Yankees uniform. I mean... this is what happens when you go from the Yankees to the Mets.

Read more: Yankees staff member makes harsh admission about Mets' Juan Soto

"I mean, you realize that there's just a little vibe, a little verve, that has diminished precipitously, and that's what has happened," Smith continued.

"But in all seriousness about Juan Soto, who batted 1 for 10 against the Yankees in that series... As much as I love me some Aaron Judge, I need Aaron Judge to show up like that in the postseason. I know Juan Soto will. I’m not worried about him in the slightest.”

Therefore, it's clear that Smith also expects Soto to turn things around.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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