Starling Marte sends 4-word message after Juan Soto signs $765,000,000 Mets deal; Francisco Lindor reacts

On Monday, the baseball world was shaken by news of Juan Soto's massive deal with the Mets. Worth $765 million over fifteen seasons, the deal is the largest in sports history.

While pundits quickly took to social media and their respective publications to reflect on the news, some members of Soto's new team were in a celebratory mood. Among them was Mets outfielder Starling Marte, who posted a picture of Soto on his Instagram story, captioned by the words 'Welcome to our Family.'

Starling Marte welcoming Juan Soto to the Mets 'family'

Marte, a fellow Dominican played alongside Soto at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. After Marte began the trend, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor continued, posting his own Soto-inspired Instagram story.

Francisco Lindor showing his excitement about the fact that Juan Soto had signed with the Mets

Before Soto's signing, Francisco Lindor was the highest-paid member of the New York Mets. Under his 2022 deal, Lindor stands to make some $341 million until the expiration of his contract in 2031. The 2024 season saw the Puerto Rican shortstop hit .273/.344/.500 with 33 home runs and 91 RBIs. On account of the strong performance, Lindor finished second in NL MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani.

A World Series runner-up in 2024, Juan Soto ultimately decided not to re-sign with the New York Yankees. Despite the fact that he was given a $21.05 million qualifying offer, Soto's agent Scott Boras is known for his ruthless approach, and likely influenced the star to hold out for the largest possible offer.

The move was sprearheaded by billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen, who is known to splash the cash. Having already amassed a payroll of $317 million last year, the Mets will once again lead MLB in committed cash in 2025.

Juan Soto contract race was always the Mets' to lose

A billionaire financier, Steve Cohen is not used to coming in second place. As analyst Tom Verducci wrote for Sports Illustrated about Cohen in the wake of the Soto news:

"Nobody was going to outbid Cohen, as he proved by going to an average annual value of $51 million, $3.5 million more than what the Yankees put on the table. When a prospective employer is telling you he wants you more than your current employer, what are you supposed to do?"

A historic wager, it looks like at least some of Soto's future teammates in Queens believe this will be a turning point for their organization.