Overview
- Soto publicly set his target on the award and Ohtani, saying, “he better keep doing what he’s doing, because I’m coming,” as he enters his second season with the Mets.
- Ohtani is the two-time reigning NL MVP after a 2025 season with 55 home runs and a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts, and he is expected to pitch a full season in 2026.
- Soto finished third in 2025 MVP voting after hitting 43 homers with an NL‑leading 38 steals, leading the league in walks and OBP, and surging after late May to a 179 wRC+ with 35 homers and 31 steals.
- MLB analysis outlines Soto’s path in 2026: avoid a slow start, sustain elite production, keep pressuring on the bases, improve in left field, and strengthen his case by leading the Mets in a division race.
- Both stars are under NL contracts through 2033, and Soto noted an MVP would carry meaning for the Dominican Republic, which last celebrated a winner with Albert Pujols in 2009.