Juan Soto is one of the best hitters in the world, so the New York Mets signed him to a 15-year, $765 million contract in the offseason. Soto struggled at the start of this year, but his Statcast analytics suggested positive regression, which has hit in a big way.

The Chicago Cubs (22-16) and the New York Mets (24-14) open a 3-game set Friday. First pitch from Citi Field in Queens is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Cubs vs. Mets odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

Doc’s Sports offers MLB expert picks for every game on our baseball predictions page.

Sox fans jumped on the news, posting tweets that the Cubs’ claim was premature. If it’s true he’s a Sox fan, Pope Leo XIV would be the team’s second representative of the Vatican after former Sox pitcher “The Pope” Donn Pall.

John Prevost, Pope Leo's older brother, confirmed his MLB allegiance in multiple interviews, putting to rest the debate between the North and South Side.

According to church leaders from the Archdiocese of Chicago, newly elected Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from America, has a heart for the poor and is also a Cubs fan.