Juan Soto Makes Bold Statement About Challenging Shohei Ohtani For MVP

Juan Soto sent a clear message to Shohei Ohtani, who is looking to win his fourth straight MVP.

The New York Mets' Juan Soto during the spring training home opening game against the Miami Marlins on Feb. 21, 2026, at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie. Marlins defeated the Mets 2-1. | CRYSTAL VANDER WEIT/TCPALM / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If there is one thing that Juan Soto is still looking to accomplish in what has already been a Hall of Fame-caliber career, it's to win an MVP award.

Even after slugging a career-high 43 home runs and unlocking a new part of his game by racking up 38 stolen bases during his first season with the New York Mets, it wasn't enough. Soto finished third in the NL MVP voting last year behind Kyle Schwarber and eventual winner Shohei Ohtani.

Juan Soto's 42nd homer of the season gives him a new career high! 🔥

(via @SNYtv)pic.twitter.com/62hziOI2kR

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 20, 2025

In fact, the 27-year-old's closest shot at winning an MVP so far came during the 2021 season with the Washington Nationals, falling just short in voting to Bryce Harper.

But with Ohtani now a clear hurdle for Soto winning an MVP with them both in the National League for the rest of their careers, the slugging outfielder sent a clear message to Ohtani in his quest to dethrone him for that coveted award.

“I’m going to be there every year, too,” Soto said in an exclusive interview with Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “So he better keep doing what he’s doing, because I’m coming.”

Is Shohei Ohtani an insurmountable obstacle in the NL MVP race?

"He better keep doing what he's doing," Juan Soto said, "because I’m coming."https://t.co/EED9A7rYwU

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 23, 2026

Since making his major league debut in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani has simply become a legend across Major League Baseball. He has already won four MVP awards (2021, 2023-2025), and while he was primarily the designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2024 season, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to string together a 50-50 season, a feat that may never be matched.

Read More: Juan Soto Opens Up About 'Tough' First Mets Offseason

And if Soto wants to go toe-to-toe with Ohtani as he enters his second season with the Mets, DiComo asked what the six-time All-Star can do for an encore in 2026 after an exceptional 2025 season in Flushing.

“I feel like in every standpoint. Everybody knows about walks and everything, but I try to keep showing power. I try to bring the average a little bit higher, maybe," he said. "When you see seasons like guys in the past have had, you tell yourself you have to be up there to be one of the greatest. That’s what we’re trying to do every year.”

If Soto wants to keep putting his name in the MVP conversation each year, he told DiComo he must consistently put up numbers like Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, or Barry Bonds did during their prime, as well as his former teammate, Aaron Judge and of course, Shohei Ohtani.

“He’s really good. He’s really good,” Soto said of Ohtani. “I’ve just got to beat him. Definitely, it’s not going to be easy, but I’ve got to find a way to beat him.”

With big things clearly expected out of Soto this year, he also was asked what a potential MVP award would mean for him on a personal level. He looks to become the first Dominican-born player to win MVP in either the American or National Leagues since the aforementioned Pujols did it with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009.

“From an individual standpoint, any player at any point in their career, they would love to win an MVP,” Soto said. “I think it [would] be really special -- not just for me, for the Dominican Republic, I think it’s going to be great to have another player be named as an MVP from the island. I think it’s going to be really cool.”

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