New York Mets legend Johan Santana pitched for the organization from 2008 to 2012. The only other team he pitched for in his MLB career was the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2007.
During the 2012 MLB season, against the St. Louis Cardinals, Santana threw the Mets’ first no-hitter in franchise history. He won 46 games with New York during his career and had a 3.18 ERA, along with 607 strikeouts over four seasons with the franchise. Recently, he’s been spending some time around the team during spring training action.
Former New York Mets Pitcher Johan Santana Discusses How He Would Get Juan Soto Out
There’s a reason why the Mets signed outfielder Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract this offseason. Last season, with the New York Yankees, Soto played in 157 games, hitting .288 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, and seven stolen bases in 11 attempts. He also had an on-base percentage of .419.
At 26 years old, Soto could very well spend the rest of his MLB career with the Mets.
Meanwhile, Santana recently appeared on the “Honda SportsNite” show on SNY on March 3 and made mention of how he would pitch to Soto if given the opportunity.
“With Soto, you don’t waste time, you don’t waste pitches. You basically give him a pitch to put in play, to drive. And then the sooner you get him out, the better. Because he’s the type of hitter that will take one, two, three, 10 pitches away from you.
“When you put all of those things together in three at-bats you might have against him, it’s like taking maybe one or two innings away from you because of the way he’s patient at the plate,” Santana said.
“But for me, I would attack him right away, put the ball in play, get yourself out, and if you’re gonna get on base, get on base, and then we’ll turn two.”
On @Honda SportsNite, @johansantana joins @emacSNY to discuss Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes transition to the rotation, his preparation for a season, and how he'd pitch to Juan Soto https://t.co/STqP14VX4P pic.twitter.com/QObGoql4po
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 4, 2025
It’ll be interesting to see how other pitchers approach Soto this season. Santana gave great insight into his strategy, but every pitcher has a different approach.
One of the biggest reasons the Mets signed Soto is their belief that they are close to winning a World Series title. Thus, New York hopes opposing pitchers don’t figure out solutions on how to pitch to him.
