Breaking news: Steve Cohen, owner of the New York Mets, suddenly losing interest in Juan Soto.

This winter, Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, broke the record by signing Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract. The Mets have swept to the top of MLB with a 21-9 record going into their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, but their prize acquisition hasn’t settled in yet.

“I’m not worried about Juan. He’s singularly focused on baseball. He’s a pure hitter,” Cohen told SNY. “Let’s have this discussion at the end of the year.” Soto’s slash line through 30 games is.250/.374/.398 with a 122 OPS+. The four-time All-Star’s power numbers tell a troubling story—just three home runs on the season and none since April 15.

The Mets owner acknowledged the slugger’s current production falls short of expectations while highlighting his less obvious contributions.

“If you ask him, he’d probably say it’s not going as what he hoped. That’s not what the back of his baseball card would say,” Cohen noted. Having said that, he does a lot of small things that I believe are important. It matters a lot how he manipulates the count and forces pitchers to throw additional pitches.

Cohen brought highlighted Soto’s influence on the lineup’s potency. Pete [Alonso] may then drive him in once he arrives on base. Pete is seeing better pitches as a result. You can’t simply have a very limited view of that because it’s so subtle.

Soto’s 2024 performance with the New York Yankees, in which he led the American League with 128 runs scored, finished third in the AL MVP vote with 41 home runs, a.989 OPS, and 178 OPS+, contrasts sharply with the lack of power.

Given that May is quickly approaching, Cohen’s patience indicates that the Mets think Soto’s bat will warm up in tandem with the summertime heat.