While speaking to the press today, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns announced that the team is moving Juan Soto to left field for the 2026 season. The move doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as the 27-year-old was the worst defender in the big leagues in right field last year according by OAA at Statcast.
While Soto has spent the majority of his major league career in right field, he’s no stranger to playing left. He’s logged 4,000.2 innings at the position over 460 appearances, but it’s worth noting that his most recent significant playing time there came in 2023 with the Padres. Soto played just six games in left for the Yankees in 2024 and didn’t play any position other than right field in his first season with the Mets last year.
The Mets’ decision to move Soto is very likely motivated primarily by the team’s desire to maximize the value that they’re getting out of him as opposed to moving him specifically for their other outfield options. Luis Robert Jr. has played center field exclusively in his major league career, and he’s one of the better defenders in the sport at the position. And Carson Benge, who figures to be the team’s right fielder on Opening Day barring a horrendous showing in spring training, has spent some time in both corners while primarily playing center in his minor league career.
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