Todd Zale plays Santa Claus and Reed Garrett, dressed in green and red velvet, plays the helpful elf at Citi Field, where the Mets host more than 125 Queens students for their annual kids' holiday party. He was next to Santa Claus.
Of course, Steve and Alex Cohen already did their best Santa impressions this winter by giving Mets fan Juan Soto a gift.
Gone is the surprising, welcoming club that sang in the hearts of fans and the NLCS last season.
The Mets are now in an area where they can expect consecutive hits until October.
“Steve and Alex, their actions showed us that we are committed to winning,” Garrett said Thursday. Expectations.
“But I think bringing in Juan shows that we're ready for it.”
Garrett has never played against Soto, but they have played together, and the two overlap briefly in Washington in 2022.
The Mets relief pitcher said Soto is a great addition to the clubhouse who “leads by example.”
He will be a better addition on the field. Soto will likely be the No. 2 hitter in the lineup after a stellar season and postseason that brought the Yankees three wins away from winning the World Series.
“He's a great player. I'm glad I don't have to pitch to him anymore,” said Garrett, who handed out gifts to the children. “I think he's going to be the anchor of the team, and he's going to be a player who can change the game on his own. And I think he's a really unbelievable talent.”
Garrett has not yet spoken to Soto.
Garrett regretted that he and most of the rest of the Mets were inactive during the offseason, and that the fantasy football team he and David Peterson co-ran was part of the team's league. I was disappointed that we were defeated.
But he's enjoying the offseason he entered as a proven player.
The right-handed reliever spent the entire offseason on the Mets' 40-man roster last winter, but became the first major leaguer not to change teams or sign as a free agent.
The Mets believed he had an arm injury in 2024, and Garrett posted a 3.77 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 57¹/₃ innings.
The Mets' bullpen will look different next season after seeing Adam Ottavino, Phil Mayton, Ryne Stanek, Brooks Lary and Drew Smith become free agents.
Garrett is a fourth-year major leaguer who didn't taste success until last season, but he will return in a key role.
“I finally ended up in the right place at the right time, and I'm really happy to be here,” said Garrett, who took his son to a basketball game in Virginia and chatted with family members wearing Mets caps afterward. spoke. “It's a little different. Some people recognized me in public this year. You have to get used to it a little bit, and it catches you off guard a little bit.”
“But I'm excited about 2025.”
