MLB analyst claims Mets overpaid Juan Soto in bold comparison of $765M star to Shohei Ohtani & Aaron Judge

According to one MLB analyst, Juan Soto does not move the needle for MLB franchises. This was the take of Boomer Esiason, a WFAN analyst, one day after the 2025 MLB season opened.

Soto signed for a record $765 million in the offseason, a number that no one has ever reached in American sports. He's locked down for the next 15 years and had numerous suitors who offered similar figures.

Still, the analyst doesn't believe that Soto is like Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, or Shohei Ohtani:

"I think there's three athletes in baseball that move the needle... That would be Shohei Ohtani, the great Aaron Judge, and Paul Skenes... I don't think [Juan Soto] moves the needle. I think he's a great baseball player... I think they way overpaid for him, but that's their money and that's my team and I want us to do well and I want them to win."

The analyst said Soto has never gotten the Ohtani treatment where broadcasts will count down to his next at-bats. If that take wasn't hot enough, Esiason said that Alex Rodriguez was a needle-mover, but that Derek Jeter was not.

Soto went 1/3 with two walks in his New York Mets debut, a 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros. Soto was up for the winning run in the ninth but was struck out by Josh Hader.

---

Juan Soto addresses failure in Mets debut

With a 3-2 count and representing the winning run on Thursday, Juan Soto was fooled by a pitch and struck out to end the game. He said after the contest that he was sitting for a fastball.

Juan Soto struck out to end the game (Imagn)

He said, via ESPN:

"His best pitch is the fastball, so I was sitting on the fastball."

Soto also said he would've been fine taking a walk in that spot to leave the game in Pete Alonso's hands:

"We all want to do something in a big spot. We all try to get the knock and try to bring the runs in and try to help the day in any way. But, for me, I don't mind taking a walk right there. I have Pete [Alonso] behind me, and he's a really good power hitter."

Soto eventually admitted that Hader "just got" him in that situation and he came up empty.