Mets' Juan Soto Makes Defiant Statement on Shohei Ohtani Winning MVP Award

There are a handful of reasons (salary, slow start, team inconsistency) that could explain why, somehow, the 2025 season has registered as a disappointment for Mets star outfielder Juan Soto. The problem is, those reasons are not strictly statistical.

Soto is batting .259, which is, no doubt, off his usual mark (he is a .281 career hitter). But he has an OPS of .923, which is the sixth-best in baseball and No. 3 in the National League. He leads the game with 114 walks, which is not only first but is 17 ahead of former teammate Aaron Judge.

And while both he and the Mets have had their ups and downs this season, New York has hit its stride here in the final month of the year, and has now won 11 of its last 17 games. Soto, too, has gotten hot and with a 2-for-4 performance on Tuesday in a win over the Tigers, moved closer to a spot in Mets history.

He hit his 37th homer vs. the Tigers and swiped his 27th base of the season, putting Soto on that much closer to a 40-30 season. He would be the first Met in history to accomplish that feat.

Juan Soto on the Brink of Mets History

It's a mark that Soto has an eye on. He told the New York Post this week about getting to the 40-30 threshold: “It would be pretty cool. It’s something I have never done before, and it’s something I can help the team big-time, too.”

Indeed, Soto's focus on becoming an effective base-stealer with the Mets has been impressive. It had never been a focus in his career, during which he stole a total of 57 bases with 23 times caught stealing heading into 2025. He has not only boosted his totals, but he has done so without making mistakes--he has been caught only twice this year.

“Nobody anticipated him being in the conversation for what he is doing on the bases,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. “Teams are starting to pay attention. We know that he’s an elite hitter, but he’s a complete player right now. What you are getting at the plate, on the bases and defensively is pretty impressive.”