When Juan Soto entered free agency, no manager would have liked him anywhere else in his division other than their team. It was also the sentiment shared by Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker, who's already bracing for the challenge of facing Soto more frequently after the star outfielder signed with the New York Mets in a record deal.
The Mets and the Braves play in the same division, the NL East. That means comparatively more regular-season matchups between the two and the likelihood of seeing Soto on the mound. Soto played in the NL East when he started his career with the Washington Nationals.
Speaking to Foul Territory, Snitker expressed his wish that Soto had landed anywhere but back in the NL East.
"I was rooting for him to get a nice little deal in the American League," Snitker said.
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Juan Soto signed a record 15-year, $765 million during the offseason with the Mets. The news meant the NL East field getting extra competitive, with the presence of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Braves.
Last season, all three entered the postseason. While the Phillies won the division, the Braves and the Mets qualified as wild-card teams.
The Braves couldn't make it through, but the Mets went through and even went on to defeat division leaders Phillies in the NLDS clash. The Mets' fairytale run came to a halt when the Dodgers beat them in the NLCS in six games.
How Juan Soto has fared against Brian Snitker's Braves
Juan Soto played three games against the Braves in 2024. where he hit .200, including two hits and a run scored. In the season before (2023), he batted .280 with seven hits, two homers, three RBIs and four runs scored in seven games against the Braves.
Overall, Soto has hit .325 with 79 hits, 19 home runs, 51 RBIs and 60 runs scored in 77 games against the Braves in his career.
Earlier in the offseason, in December, Brian Snitker shared his thoughts on the Mets' acquisition of Soto:
“All those teams in our division just continue to keep getting better, as we do. We're all working to get better, and it's a very strong division. I don't have any doubt that it's going to be again.
"I look at the Nationals. A lot of the young guys they had finish the year are really good players and they’re going to continue to improve. It’s not going to be easy.”
The Braves are scheduled to face the Mets seven times before the first half of the MLB season draws to a close. Snitker will hope that Juan Soto troubles them the least.
