Juan Soto named NL MVP finalist after first Mets season

New York was long expected to have a Most Valuable Player finalist this season, but now Aaron Judge will have company.

Juan Soto was announced as a National League MVP finalist on Monday, alongside heavy favorite and Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.

Soto, in his first season with the Mets after signing a 15-year, $765 million contract, hit .263 with a .921 OPS and career-highs of 43 home runs and 38 steals.

His 6.2 bWAR ranked third among NL position players, trailing only Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (7.0) and Ohtani (6.6).

The 27-year-old Soto was an AL MVP finalist last year as a Yankee, finishing third with Judge winning it, and placed second in NL MVP voting in 2021 when he was with the Nationals.

The AL MVP finalists are Judge, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez, though really it is a two-man race between Judge and Raleigh.

Judge, who led the majors with a 9.7 bWAR after winning a batting title (.331) while crushing 53 home runs and posting a 1.144 OPS, is in pursuit of his third MVP, though it is expected to be a close vote with Raleigh, the switch-hitting backstop who crushed 60 home runs and accrued a 7.3 bWAR.