Inside The Mets

Mets’ Juan Soto named NL MVP Finalist

Juan Soto has been named an MVP finalist in the National League.
Logan VanDine|
Sep 19, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) follows through on a three run home run against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Sep 19, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) follows through on a three run home run against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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New York Mets

Juan Soto has officially been recognized for his excellent first season with the New York Mets.

The Baseball Writers' Association of America announced its MVP finalists on Monday, with Soto selected as one of the three finalists for the National League's award. The two other players are Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Soto signed a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets last offseason and strung together a career year during his first season in Flushing.

The slugger got off to a slow start with his new team, batting just .232 during April, followed by a dismal .219 batting average in May. However, the All-Star slugger finally broke out offensively in June after slashing .322/.474/.722 with 11 home runs and 20 RBI, subsequently winning the National League Player of the Month award. It was the first time he earned Player of the Month honors in his career, and his season would only continue to get better from there.

While the 27-year-old was not named an All-Star this season, Soto's first season with the Amazins' was exceptional. He finished the year batting .263/.396/.525 with a career-high 43 home runs, 105 RBI and an OPS of .921 in 160 games; Soto also drew 127 walks this season, which led Major League Baseball.

Soto's first season with the Mets also saw him unlock a new part of his game. He became just the fifth Met in franchise history to join the 30-30 club after stealing his 30th base of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 9, joining David Wright, Jose Reyes, Howard Johnson and Darryl Strawberry. He finished the season with 38 stolen bases, which was tied with Oneil Cruz for the most in the National League; Soto's 43 home runs and 38 stolen bases also resulted in him becoming the first Met ever to string together a 40-30 season.

Read More: Three former Mets get second chance on Hall of Fame ballot

Though his first season with the Mets was an exceptional one, Soto is expected to fall short in the MVP award to the aforementioned Ohtani after another great season with the bat and on the mound. The Mets' late-season collapse may have also hurt his chances, especially with Ohtani and Schwarber both being on playoff teams.

While the Mets fell well short of their expectations this season, Soto looks to be in the prime of his career. The hope is that his continued excellence can help lead the Mets back to the postseason in 2026.

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Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan

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