Juan Soto Talks Missing MLB ASG, Mets Contract Bonus, 'A Lot of Money on the Table'

New York Mets slugger Juan Soto is not happy to be missing out on the $100,000 bonus that would have come with being named to the 2025 MLB All-Star roster.

When asked Wednesday if he would have liked to been named to the All-Star team, Soto smiled and asked, "What do you think? I think it's a lot of money on the table if I make it."

This marked the first time Soto has been left out of an All-Star Game since 2020. He earned four straight All-Star nods with the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees between 2021 and 2024.

The 15-year, $765 million contract Soto signed with the Mets this past offseason came with a variety of incentives, including $100,000 for each All-Star selection, according to the Associated Press' Ronald Blum.

Soto also could earn $100,000 for an All-MLB team selection, $100,000 for a Gold Glove or Hank Aaron Award and $150,000 for a Silver Slugger award.

The biggest potential bonus Soto could hit this season would be by winning his first MVP award, which would net him an extra $1.5 million, per Blum.

Even if Soto doesn't hit any of the award or postseason incentives built into his contract, he is set to remain the highest-paid player in baseball this season.

As Spotrac noted, the Mets front-loaded Soto's contract with a $75 million signing bonus to give him more than $121 million in cash this season.

Soto is overall slashing .269/.399/.509 through 91 games. He leads MLB with 72 walks, but that's otherwise a relative drop-off from the offensive production he put up in his lone season with the Yankees.

That trend started to change at the beginning of the summer. Since the first day of June, Soto has slashed .336/.473/.681 through 34 games with 12 home runs and 25 RBI.

When asked if he thought his last month had been enough to earn him an All-Star nod, Soto told the New York Post's Jon Heyman, “It looks like I didn’t. I’ve just got to be better.”

Soto continued, per Heyman: "Everyone wants to be an All-Star and live the experience of being there, but this year it didn’t happen. I was glad I was able to be there four years in a row. If I didn’t make it this year, it’s no big deal. I’ll come back stronger next year.”

The Mets will hope that this year's snub will help motivate more production from Soto down a crucial stretch of the season. The club is currently deadlocked with the Philadelphia Phillies for the top spot in the NL East, and a strong July could put New York on top of the division heading into the trade deadline.

Francisco Lindor will represent the Mets at shortstop at the All-Star Game next Tuesday, while Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso are reserves. Lindor and Díaz each received a $50,000 bonus for their selection, per Spotrac.