Losing slugger Juan Soto to the New York Mets was seen as a huge blow to the New York Yankees, but is that really the case?

Per New York Post’s Mike Puma, the Mets held an abnormally long hitters’ meeting on Tuesday during the Red Sox series, the details of which reveal some out-of-the-box thinking from New York.

The Dodgers and Mets have added serious talent to their rosters since their last meeting in October, but will that change the outcome of the series?

The New York Yankees have to feel a little bit better about losing Juan Soto after defeating him and the New York Mets in the first Subway Series of the season.

Smith quickly made it clear he not only has Soto’s back, but that he’s more concerned about New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge. Never mind that Judge, already a two-time AL MVP, entered Thursday hitting .402 with 16 home runs, 45 RBI, and an MLB-best 3.8 bWAR.

On two consecutive nights, there were questions about whether Juan Soto was hustling down the line after putting the ball in play.