What does Donovan Mitchell have to do with the New York Mets and Juan Soto, you may ask?
Well, Soto is the talk of MLB at the moment, after it was revealed that he turned down a contract extension offer from the Washington Nationals worth $350 million over 13 years.
Perhaps the most surprising development about Soto is that he announced his intention to wait for free agency to sign his next contract.
He will be 26 when he hits the market, but before that happens, he has three remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility with the Nationals.
The Nationals are eager to extend his stay in the nation’s capital for a long, long time, but he wants to go year-by-year and then pick his next destination when he is a free agent.
If that happens, he will get to choose his next team, and Mitchell is already working to recruit Soto to his favorite team: the Mets.
“Spida” Is Playing Recruiter With Soto
Mitchell, the star guard of the Utah Jazz, was born and raised in New York.
His father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., was working as the Mets director of players relations when “Spida” was a child.
Mitchell grew up around MLB locker rooms and obviously rooted for the Mets.
He had Scott Kazmir (a famous pitcher who was once the best prospect in baseball) and David Wright as his idols growing up.
He chose basketball as his career, but it’s evident he loves baseball, thanks in part to his father.
New York Knicks fans have been trying to recruit Mitchell back to his home state, too: he has serious roots in New York.
He is trying to get Soto to sign with the Mets when he reaches free agency, and left him a comment on an Instagram post.
He said that “we would love to have you”.
.@spidadmitchell already out here recruiting Juan Soto for his Mets 😂 pic.twitter.com/4pwHSGhW1R
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) February 16, 2022
Will Mitchell’s wish eventually come true?
