PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — One year into a 15-year contract with the Mets, Juan Soto is changing positions.
Soto will move from right to left field this season, president of baseball operations David Stearns told reporters on Tuesday, opening up right field for a host of candidates.
The move plays into the Mets’ overarching desire to improve defensively. Soto, who has primarily been a right fielder since 2021, posted -12 Outs Above Average last season and ranked in the 66th percentile in the Majors in arm strength. His arm will be less of a factor in left field, where he played primarily in 2018-19 for the Nationals and again in 2023 for the Padres.
A move to left for Soto frees rookie Carson Benge to play right, his primary position in college. While that could happen as soon as Opening Day, Benge should factor heavily into the Mets’ 2026 plans even if he doesn’t break camp with the team. Other candidates to play right include Tyrone Taylor, Brett Baty and the recently signed MJ Melendez. Luis Robert Jr. is slated to play center.
“It made sense for us from a roster perspective,” Stearns said. “Not something we had contemplated, but as we’ve had conversations, it made sense.”
The conversation began when Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called Soto over the offseason to ask about his World Baseball Classic prep. Soto mentioned that he was working out in left field because his former Padres teammate, Fernando Tatis Jr., was slated to play right. That sparked a conversation about Soto’s comfort level at both positions, prompting Mendoza to ask if he’d consider playing left for the Mets.
“If you want me to pitch, Mendy, I’ll pitch,” Soto quipped in response.
When Mendoza hung up, he called Stearns, who put the move into motion.
“It just got to a point where it made more sense for us to go ahead and do it,” Mendoza said.
During his three previous seasons as a left fielder, Soto manned the position in 460 games. His best defensive season in terms of advanced metrics came in left field back in 2019, when he produced +5 OAA.
At the start of this offseason, Stearns mentioned the Mets’ run prevention — with defense making up a significant part of that — as one of the primary things he wished to improve. Stearns subsequently acquired Robert to play center and Marcus Semien to man second base. The Mets will also ask two players to play positions they never have in a meaningful way in the Majors: Jorge Polanco at first base and Bo Bichette at third.
Now, Soto will join the cast of characters changing positions.
