Hour 3: Juan Soto’s “Cold” Comments Spark Debate on Leadership

Evan & Tiki

Audacy

Sports

4.2 • 988 Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A single comment from Juan Soto sets off a firestorm, leaving fans questioning his leadership and commitment during a tough stretch for the Mets. What initially sounds cold and indifferent quickly turns into a deeper conversation about how athletes handle injuries, separation from teammates, and what leadership actually looks like in professional sports. Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber break down the full context behind Soto’s remarks, including insights from veteran players and reactions inside the clubhouse. They explore the difference between vocal leaders like Francisco Lindor and quieter stars, while also debating whether high paid players are held to a different standard. The conversation expands into locker room dynamics, media narratives, and how quickly perception can shift once more information comes to light.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	But last night, Juan Soto returned, and before he returned, he made a comment in his return,
0:06.0	I guess, scrum with the media that opened up a lot of eyes.
0:10.1	And I admit, when I first heard this, my reaction was, oof.
0:15.3	Yeah, that sounds bad.
0:16.8	This doesn't sound good.
0:18.7	For those that missed it, here's the question from Mike Puma, and here's Juan Soto's answer.
0:24.2	Have you been talking to guys throughout and trying to gauge where they're at and try to lift them as we go along here?
0:32.2	No, no, no, no.
0:34.2	I mean, they've been on the road most of the time, so I haven't talked to them. The no, not at all, I haven't talked to them. Yeah. It sounded cold. That would be the way I would define. It just sounded very like... Indifferent. No, not at all. I don't really talk to those guys. I don't care. Yeah. That's what it sounds like. It sounded like I don't care. It sounded like I don't care, and it didn't sound good. But it just didn't.
0:54.4	And it sounded. they talked to those guys, I don't care. Yeah. That's what it sounds like. It sounded like I don't care.
0:56.6	It sounded like I don't care, and it didn't sound good.
0:57.7	But it's also... It just didn't.
0:57.7	And it sounded... My initial reaction was, man, what kind of leader is this guy? He doesn't even care about his teammates when they're going to this horrendous losing streak. But they were also... And he's right. they were on the road.
1:08.3	And so it made me...
1:08.9	Well, they were on the road for part of it.
1:10.2	They weren't on the road the entire time
1:11.5	because they had come back and played some home games.
1:13.6	Yeah, but at the home games, he was... right. They were on the road. And so it made me... Well, they were on the road for part of it. They weren't on the road the entire time. Because they had come back
1:12.6	and played some home games. Yeah, but at the home games, he was there. He was there. No, I know. And that's why his answer wasn't even consistent with the truth. Because he was in the dugout. I was actually screaming this at one point while he was talking. I was like, dude, you did talk to him.
1:25.6	Right.
1:25.9	I saw you in the dugout.
1:27.5	I think at the early stages of it when he was in the dugout,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Audacy, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Audacy and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.