Fans Come To Defense Of Mets’ Juan Soto After Alleged Incident
Soto's just trying to enjoy his offseason.
Fans across the globe are vehemently defending New York Mets superstar Juan Soto online after Soto received backlash for denying a photo request while he was dining.
Evelina Garcia, ex-wife of the late MLB pitcher Odalis Pérez took to social media to trash Soto for allegedly denying Garcia’s daughter a picture while Soto was eating dinner at a restaurant in the Dominican Republic.
The situation immediately turned into a discourse on X about the importance of respecting famous people’s personal space, with fans criticizing Garcia on grounds of entitlement and defending Soto for simply wanting to relax and enjoy his dinner.
“Let the man enjoy his private dinner time,” X user @jayw1818 wrote. “Respect someone’s space.”
“No one says that they have to give anyone a picture or autograph,” user @CrusadersBBNY added. “Respect them when they are with their families or away from the stadium. Nothing is guaranteed.”
Soto, 27, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and often spends large portions of his MLB offseason in his home country.
The four-time All-Star signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets last offseason, which became the largest professional sports contract in history at the time.
Soto’s inaugural campaign in Queens saw him finish third in National League MVP voting. He hit .263/ .396/ .525/ .921 across 160 games, smashing a personal-best 43 homers and driving in 105 runs. He paced the NL in on-base percentage and walks (127), while swiping a career-high 38 bags to claim the league lead and etch his name as the fifth Met in the storied 30-30 club.
Soto also earned his sixth Silver Slugger trophy and ignited Citi Field with a scorching June, slashing .322/ .474/ .722/ .1.196 for Player of the Month honors.
After blazing to MLB’s best mark at 45-24 on June 12, the Mets cratered with a 38-55 skid, limping to 83-79 and missing October. Soto’s 8.1 fWAR anchored the offense alongside Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, but defensive woes in right field (-12 outs above average) didn’t help offset the club’s pitching collapse.
