As is typical in the New York pressure cooker, Juan Soto was under the microscope from the moment he arrived in Queens. He was painted as the missing link in the Mets’ long-awaited turnaround. Of course, much of that noise stemmed from the $765 million price tag attached to Soto’s name. That’s an investment that comes with sky-high expectations and little room for patience. But hey, let’s not pretend the rest of the Mets’ batting order has been firing on all cylinders.

As MLB insider John Harper recently pointed out, there may be an even more pressing concern lurking in plain sight. One that has flown under the radar simply because Soto’s presence sucks up all the oxygen in the room. We are talking about Francisco Alvarez – The Mets’ catcher.

“Soto is becoming more and more of a focal point as Mets’ offense struggles, and it’s beyond puzzling at this point that he can’t get it going, but would still have to point to Alvarez as the biggest concern. No power, still pulling off pitches after he talked about changing approach,” Harper wrote on X.

Yes, Soto’s slump hurts, undoubtedly. But the real worry right now might be Alvarez. His numbers are not helping in his case. Alvarez’s chase rate is up to 30.9%, he’s making contact just 64.4% of the time, and he’s whiffing on nearly 20% of his swings. Moreover, his strikeout rate is hanging around 30%. These aren’t just little slumps, Harper thinks these are flashing warning signs.

That said, it’s not all doom and gloom. For those unaware, Alvarez did have wrist surgery back in the spring, and he barely played any rehab games. So maybe he’s still finding his rhythm. Yes, it’s a possible explanation, but right now, the Mets need him to turn the corner, fast.

If the recently concluded game against the Dodgers is considered, Alvarez was painful to watch. He went 0-for-5 and was chasing pitches way out of the zone. It wasn’t just that he looked in poor form, but he looked like a guy with low confidence. His swings didn’t have any fire, and it was as if he didn’t trust himself anymore!

And Juan Soto? He is still hitting at .236 with 8 HRs. That’s not something expected from a $765 million name. No matter how the Mets’ batting lineup performs, it will eventually be overshadowed by the hype of Juan Soto!

Juan Soto’s slump is unmissable

While it is all true that Alvarez requires more attention, how to move away from Soto? His slump is surely very much evident, and with each game, fans’ wrath is getting amplified.

Soto’s May has been, well, forgettable. He’s hitting just .229 this month with 16 hits in 70 at-bats. It’s a spotlight moment for Soto, and obviously not for a good reason! For starters, he hasn’t gone deep in two weeks, which feels eerie considering he hit five homers in the first nine days of May.

April wasn’t much better. It was just a few more hits, sure, but only two home runs all month.

But here’s the thing. The Mets fans can live with a slump. What they can’t live with is the lack of effort. That’s the bigger issue. Slumps happen. But efforts are non-negotiable.

For instance, that stretch against the Red Sox the other day. Soto took six straight strikes across two at-bats. And nobody could believe he didn’t swing once. Now, that’s unexpected. Struggles are fine. But you still have to show you’re in the fight.