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Juan Soto is one of the most electrifying players participating with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, and proof of that was the home run he hit to end the game against Team Netherlands. But what's going viral worldwide are his statements, where he apparently excludes his current team, the New York Mets.
Yes, Juan Soto spoke after the game with words that have ignited the anger of fans of the team paying him a $765 million contract.
What did Juan Soto say after his blast vs. Netherlands?
"I've been on a lot of great teams," he said. "2019, 2024, those were really fun teams that I played with but this has to be top of the top - you have the whole family, the whole Dominican Republic cheering for you being there for you, there's nothing better than that," he said in a postgame interview during the World Baseball Classic.
The 2019 and 2024 World Series teams correspond to the years Juan Soto played in the World Series with the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees, respectively. That is, along with the Dominican Republic national team, these are among the teams where he's had the most fun.
It's undoubtedly a statement that doesn't sit well with New York Mets fans, who are still waiting for Juan Soto to become the piece that takes the franchise to another level-especially after a 2025 MLB season where the team signed what many considered a resounding failure.
During this game, Juan Soto hit his first home run of the World Baseball Classic, the team's seventh total in just two games. The powerful Dominican Republic lineup has scored 24 runs, making them one of the teams to beat in the World Baseball Classic tournament.
"It's great what we can do. We've been passing the baton, we don't try to be the hero - I feel like we have a great lineup, everybody can do damage, but we're playing team baseball - it's fun to play like that," he added in his comments to MLB Network.