Juan Soto Reveals His Biggest Regret From Time With Padres

Maren Angus-Coombs | May 27, 2024

David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports

Juan Soto stepped into the box on Friday for his first at-bat in San Diego since he was traded from the Padres to the New York Yankees in December. The Padres faithful let him hear it, too.

As the boos rained down, Soto couldn’t help but wonder if fans knew that he never wanted to leave them. He didn’t think he would ever have to. 

He also felt terrible for the lackluster season San Diego had last season. It wasn’t solely his fault but now he is thriving and putting up numbers in New York that San Diego expected to see from him. 

The experience he had returning to Southern California made him realize what his biggest regret is from his time in a Padres uniform.

“It’s kind of tough for me because (the fans) were there every day for me,’’ Soto told reporters before Saturday’s game. “I know I tried my best. I played hard every game. But I didn’t play at my best, you know?

“And that’s one of the things I was kind of sad about, because I couldn’t show them how great I can be.’’

Soto was supposed to be the player to end the club’s World Series drought, and instead, the streak has reached 55 years without an end in sight. The outfielder understands the fans’ frustration. He fell shy of their expectations by a lot, but there’s nothing he can do about it now.

“For me, I think it’s just baseball,’’ Soto said, when asked to explain what happened. “At the end of the day, even if you have the best team on paper, you’ve got to go out and try to win games. But stuff happens.

“We didn’t have the luck on our side in 2023. We have some games when there was nothing we can do. But it is what it is. Now, it’s in the past.

“I just learn from it. Definitely, I learned a lot of things last year that is going to help me this year, and it’s going to help the group I’m around. I just take it and keep moving forward.’’

Soto is heading toward a potential American League MVP award while the Padres are left wondering when they will win the National League West again.