NEW YORK — Let’s give credit where it’s due regarding Juan Soto. He was drop-dead honest when he said life with the Mets is “different” than it was with the Yankees. It was neither a complaint nor an insult to anyone on either New York team – just the truth about the advantages of hitting in front of Aaron Judge versus Pete Alonso.

Perhaps most impressive about this start is the fact that the team had to pivot away from Juan Soto, one of the best hitters in all of baseball, after he received a historic $765 million contract to join the New York Mets.