A handful of flight cancellations from the Dominican Republic later, Juan Soto was missing from the Mets fan fest at Citi Field on Saturday.
But six weeks after he signed a monster 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, there was still a buzz among his new teammates about sharing a lineup and clubhouse with Soto.
“I was happy and I also said, ‘Damn!’ ” Francisco Lindor, the owner of a 10-year, $341 million contract, said of his reaction to Soto’s deal. “It was great. I was happy for him and his family as well as the organization.
“I can’t wait to be a teammate of his for the next seven years, and then I can’t wait to watch him from my house,” Lindor added with a laugh.
Lindor hoped hitting in front of Soto would result in the leadoff man seeing “nine fastballs out of 10 pitches.”
Mark Vientos, who could bat behind Soto depending on how Carlos Mendoza writes out his lineup, was equally thrilled.
“It’s like a, ‘Hey pinch me, I’m dreaming,’ type of feeling,’ Vientos said. “It’s sick that I’ll be able to get the opportunity hopefully.”
Steve Cohen reiterated Saturday that up until about 30 minutes before the Mets found out they were getting Soto, he did not think they were going to be able to reel him in.
Instead, thanks in large part to Cohen’s deep pockets, the Mets were the last team standing after sweeping the generational hitter away from the Yankees.
“So glad we won that bidding war and brought him to the orange and blue,” Brandon Nimmo said. “He’s going to be a presence in the middle of our lineup and it’s going to be really exciting to see what he can do.”
Some of the Mets in attendance Saturday knew Soto only from having to face him, and thus were doubly thankful for now being able to call him a teammate.
Another, Brett Baty, had met Soto through text messages while giving up his No. 22 jersey in an exchange — the details of which Baty was not ready to publicly reveal.
But beginning next month in Port St. Lucie, the Mets will begin to feel the full Soto experience, which they hope will be a franchise-changing addition.
“This is a guy that we all got to get familiar with,” Mendoza said. “Seeing him work day in and day out and having those conversations, whether it’s in the cages, during hitters meetings and things like that.
“Everything I’m hearing around the league and people that had him in the past, it’s how special this guy is when it comes down to hitting. … I’m excited to get to know him and learn from him as well.”