Juan Soto went 0-for-5 on Wednesday night as the New York Mets lost to the Minnesota Twins. Considering Soto signed the biggest deal in the history of baseball to come to play for the Mets, the team and fans expected more and at least one fan—Sal Licata of New York's WFAN—is already furious with the lack of results.
Licata went off on Soto on his radio show on Thursday, saying he has failed in every "big spot" that the month of April has produced. Then WFAN put together a social media clip with a graphic showing Soto at the bottom with FAILURE in blue and orange all-caps between him and Licata.
.@sal_licata WENT OFF on Juan Soto after his 0-for-5 performance yesterday 😳 pic.twitter.com/Z5sGOnzOY7
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) April 17, 2025
"Juan Soto has stunk to start his Mets career," Licata said. "I never thought I would be at this point with Juan Soto. A guy who I begged and pleaded the Mets to go get. A guy I wanted more than any player ever in my fandom. I wanted Juan Soto. The Mets delivered and every single time this guy has come up in a big spot this year—and there have been plenty—He. Has. Failed. And yesterday a despicable oh for five with three strikeouts, leaving a small village on the base paths as the Mets lose a series.
"You don't pay $765 million to a guy who gets on base 40% of the time," Licata continued. "Bullcrap! Every single time he has come up in a big spot he has failed this year. He did not do that with the Yankees! I don't want to hear the excuses from Soto. I don't want to hear people tell me that the walks are good. I want to start seeing some production. Now!"
Keep in mind Soto is less than one whole month into a 15-year deal. The big spots that Licata is upset about are in April games and despite Soto's struggles, the Mets are still fighting with the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East.
Following Licata's rant, Soto went 0 for 3 with a walk in a Mets win over the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as New York Sports Radio Host Goes Off On Juan Soto After 0-for-5 Day in Mid-April Loss.
