Watch: Juan Soto serves sweet revenge to heckling fan calling him 'overrated'

Juan Soto's mammoth record-breaking $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets shocked the baseball community. Eyebrows were raised with many questioning if the Mets were taking a gamble by signing the 26-year-old to such a long term and hefty contract. It is perhaps somewhat expected then, that Soto will be on the receiving end of some jabs from the stands during his games over the upcoming season.

Fans got a preview of that during the Mets' Spring Training game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. Juan Soto was fielding in right field when he was heckled by a fan. The person in the audience shouted words like "overpaid" and "overrated" at the Dominican slugger. Soto didn't react, instead just giving him a stare before concentrating back at the game.

But when he came to the plate in the third innings, Soto answered in the way he knows best. In the bottom of the third, he drilled Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray's ball into the right field stands, near the fan in the green t-shirt that was heckling him earlier. As seen in the clip posted by Barstool Sports on X/Twitter, the fan even tried to grab the ball among others who wanted to take home the souvenir.

The Mets were convincing 8-0 victors on the day, and Soto has been in immaculate form for the Mets so far in Spring Training. He has featured in eight of their Grapefruit League games and hit 8-for-18 with six RBIs and three home runs while boasting a .444 batting average.

Juan Soto relaxed after certainty about future

In an exclusive interview with The Athletic published on Monday, Soto opened up about his state of mind playing for the Mets. For the first time in years, the outfielder doesn't have to worry about being traded or entering free agency. In his opinion, that will prepare him the best way possible for the upcoming season.

“Everybody knows how it’s going to be, for how long I am going to be in place, that relaxes you a little bit more,” Soto said via The Athletic. “It doesn’t mean you’re not going to keep working and not keep putting yourself in the best spot going into the season. Definitely, it’s helpful to know where you’re going to be."

The Mets start their campaign on March 27 against the Houston Astros. They will be looking to go two steps further from their National League Championship Series loss in 2024.