Brad Penner/Vincent Carchietta - Imagn Images
Juan Soto’s slump has continued into the week as he and the New York Mets have dropped two straight games to the Boston Red Sox after losing two-of-three to the New York Yankees in a high-profile series over the weekend. Furthermore, Soto has also been marred of accusations of not hustling.
On Tuesday night, however, one of the game of baseball’s modern greats spoke out to defend Juan Soto: former Dodgers, Expos, Red Sox, Mets and Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez.
Following the Mets loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday, in which Juan Soto went 0-for-3 at the plate, Martinez took to Twitter to try and give Soto’s perspective, reasoning he understands it as he, too, was once the highest paid player in Major League Baseball.
During the offseason, Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, which is the largest contract in the history of American professional sports.
“Juan Soto: I was once the highest paid player and it took me a while to adjust. Nobody thinks about the human inside the uniform. There are things that can get you distracted. We forget how young he is,” the Hall of Fame pitcher tweeted on Tuesday night following the Mets’ 2-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox in which Soto and the entire Mets’ offense struggled.
Juan Soto: I was once the highest paid player and it took me a while to adjust. Nobody thinks about the human inside the uniform. There are things that can get you distracted. We forget how young he is. #mlbontbs
— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) May 20, 2025
When asked about his apparent lack of hustle on Monday night, Soto bristled at the question and shut down the premise that he isn’t hustling out of the box.
“I think I’ve been hustling pretty hard. If you see it today, you could tell,” Soto told reporters after the game.
So far this season, the 26-year-old Soto — a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner and four-time All-Star — has a .247 batting average with 8 home runs and 20 RBIs on 43 hits.