In his first season as a Met, Juan Soto has been named a finalist for the BBWAA National League Most Valuable Player award. Soto joins fellow finalists Shohei Ohtani (a two-time defending MVP) and Kyle
Schwarber, with the winner set to be announced live on MLB Network on November 13.
It’s the third time Soto has finished Top 3 in MVP voting, having done so in 2021 with the Nationals and in 2024 with the Yankees. Soto started slow in 2025 by his superstar standards, putting up a .745 OPS through May 28; but when September came to a close, the 26-year-old had posted yet another historic campaign, becoming the first player to reach 43 homers, 38 stolen bases, and 127 walks in a single season.
Despite those mammoth numbers, Shohei Ohtani — like his team — is the favorite to repeat once again. On pure offensive value alone, Soto was worth 7.0 bWAR to Ohtani’s 6.6. But Soto was one of the worst defenders in baseball, while Ohtani, of course, recorded a 2.87 ERA in 47.0 IP for the Dodgers. While Soto may have been the greatest offensive force in the National League this season, there’s little doubt that Ohtani was the more valuable player overall. If Soto lands the runner-up spot over Schwarber, it will be the second consecutive year that a Met comes in second place to Shohei Ohtani, with Francisco Lindor having done so last season.
The Mets are one of just three franchises without an MVP award, and the other two (the Diamondbacks and Rays) were founded 36 years later in 1998. They will, however, have a bit of historical precedent working in their favor next season. Since 1990, only two players through their age-26 seasons recorded a higher WAR than Soto’s (42.6) without winning an MVP: Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez, both of whom finally took home the award in their age-27 seasons.
