The Atlanta Falcons lost by three touchdowns, the Atlanta Hawks lost by 30 points and the Atlanta Braves welcomed outfielder Juan Soto back into the National League East.
To cap a tough day for Atlanta sports, the New York Mets signed Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract, the largest deal in professional sports history, according to ESPN. The Mets won the race for Soto, who also received a 16-year, $760 million offer from the New York Yankees.
But ultimately, the 26-year-old Soto will return to the NL East, where he spent the first four-and-a-half years of his MLB career as a member of the Washington Nationals. He was traded to the San Diego Padres during the 2022 season and remained there through 2023 before playing the 2024 season with the Yankees.
Soto has historically been a Braves killer. Across 77 games, he's recorded a .325 batting average, 19 home runs, 51 runs batted in and 60 runs scored. He'll now play the Braves approximately 13 times each regular season until he's 41 years old.
Atlanta, meanwhile, may be trending toward its own move. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Sunday he's willing to exceed the luxury tax, and he's spent much of the season trimming salary cap space.
Regardless, the Mets, who lost in six games in the NLCS last year, appear poised to pose a serious threat to Atlanta's NL East hopes for the foreseeable future.
And the Braves, on an all-around forgettable sports day for Atlanta, may have to feel the effects of Soto's return linger more than any other pain suffered around the city.