The Honeymoon is officially over in Queens

BOSTON – After a subway series where the Mets offense was lackluster at best (scoring seven runs over three games, and not hitting a homerun), the big storyline has been Juan Soto's slow start in Queens.

When Soto picked the Mets this offseason, I am not going to lie, I was devastated as a Yankee fan. It honestly felt like a bad breakup that we all felt coming but did not want to admit it.

Now, while hindsight is 20/20, I am happy he is not back with the Yankees. Seeing what the Yankees did as a pivot and it being a main storyline in the Subway Series this past weekend is a nod to Senior Vice President of the Yankees, Brian Cashman's excellence as a GM. Most of the moves he made this past offseason have worked in an awesome way for the Yankees and their success for the future.

Getting back to Soto, he has struggled to start his long Mets tenure. Entering play on Tuesday, Soto is slashing .246/.376/.439 . When you look deeper into the numbers, Soto is slashing .132/.205/.237 in 38 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Another development came up yesterday when in the top of the eighth inning, with no outs, in a 2-2 count, Soto hit a ground ball to the second baseman DJ LeMahieu and Soto did not hussle down the line:

Now, players don't run out ground balls on a regular basis, which annoys me when players on the Yankees don't do it (and I call players out for it all the time in my writing), but I don't recall Juan Soto doing this, at all, last year, and I watched every game, preseason, regular season and postseason.

It seemed like Soto has not played with the same intensity this season, so far with the Mets as he did last year with the Yankees and it has been highlighted over the past three days especially.

Quotes have been out for a few hours/days now about Soto's decision to go to the Mets and the influence on the matter, it doesn't matter, he choose them. He got his money and he has not played like himself with the Mets yet.

More of the lack of hustle came to light tonight when Soto did not hustle out of the box on a ball hit off the Green Monster at Fenway Park and it resulted in a single when it clearly should have been a double:

Soto would go on to steel second later on, but it is still a very bad look for Soto especially after yesterday. Mets Manager, Carlos Mendoza, was asked about the long single in his postgame presser, and responded by saying:

(Via SNY): "He thought he had it. In this ballpark with that wall right there, you gotta get out of the box. We'll discuss that"

Juan Soto was also asked by the media today about the lack of hustle, and he responded by saying:

(Via SNY): "I think I've been hustling pretty hard. If you see it today, you could tell"

Mets fans on social media are irate right now. Here is what one Mets fan, Frank Fleming who works for Barstool sports thinks about Soto and the Mets after tonight:

It is certainly a really bad look for Soto and the Mets, who have hit a skid after a hot start (11-11 in their last 22 games). It seems like this could get really interesting between the Mets and Soto with these issues, much like the Devers/Red Sox saga.

It has been published earlier today that players in the Mets clubhouse and the Mets executives are starting to get frustrated with Soto and his lack of emotion thus far with the Mets.

Michael Kay of ESPN radio said on his show that he spoke to Mets officials and they said that Soto has been "very glum around the clubhouse" since beginning his tenure with the Mets. Kay also said that "some of the players are being rubbed the wrong way", going on to mention that Soto got the Suite in his contract and nobody else got a Suite and other incentives negotiated in the contract. Is it that these players are jealous or that these players believe that Soto is not trying his hardest because he has a job for the next 15 years and is being payed more money than I will ever see in my lifetime? I honestly don't know and I think it's unfair to assume without knowing one way or another.

All I know is Soto is already painted as a villain to most Yankee fans and if Soto's on-field production does not pick up quickly, he might become a villain to Mets fans as well.