Category: Baseball

Mets closer Edwin Diaz earned himself some hardware at Thursday’s MLB Awards.

Diaz took home the 2025 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year award for the second time in his career and was named to the All-MLB Second Team. 

He joins Josh Hader and Kenley Jansen as the only pitchers to win multiple NL Reliever of the Year awards.

This certainly doesn’t come as a surprise after the right-hander's spectacular season. 

After a bit of a rocky return from injury, Diaz regained his dominant form and was once again one of the most trusted late-inning arms for Carlos Mendoza this season. 

He finished fifth in the NL, locking down 28 of his 31 save opportunities.

The 31-year-old also pitched to a stellar 1.63 ERA and 0.87 WHIP while averaging 13.3 K/9.

Diaz is available on the open market after opting out of his deal with the Mets, and while he'd love to be back next season, he told reporters prior to the awards that he is currently 50-50 on a potential return. 

Juan Soto grew close with Mets 1B coach Antoan Richardson last season. 

From early in his first spring training with the club, Richardson made it a point of working with Soto to improve some of the weakest areas of his game -- outfield defense and baserunning. 

All of that hard work the two put in certainly paid off. 

Soto has long been one of MLB’s most prolific hitters, but with the help of Richardson, he added a new element to his game, finishing tied atop the National League with 38 stolen bases.

That more than doubled his career-high, which he tied two years ago in San Diego (12). 

“We’ve put in a lot of work,” Soto said after joining the 30-30 club. “Antoan did an unbelievable job. He’s been helping me since Day 1, so I give all of the credit to him -- he’s the one who put me in this situation and in this spot to do what I’ve done.”

And it wasn’t just Soto who Richardson helped, as the Mets stole the fifth-most bases in baseball as a team (147) and were caught the second-fewest times (18). 

But the two grew particularly close over the course of Soto's first season in orange and blue, so he was sad to see Richardson leave the organization for the division rival Braves last week. 

“It was really sad,” he told reporters, including Newsday's Laura Albanese at the MLB Awards. “But you’ve got to understand it’s a business at the end of the day -- still the business of the game and you’ve got to take it like a man and move forward.”

New York still hasn’t filled Richardson’s spot on the coaching staff. 

The Mets have a number of high-profile free agents they are looking to bring back, and Juan Soto is hoping New York brings back Pete Alonso and Starling Marte.

Speaking at the MLB Awards in Las Vegas on Thursday, Soto was asked about Alonso's free agency. The slugger is testing the open market for the second time in as many years. He eventually re-signed with the Mets this past February but opted out after putting together a bounce-back 2025, where he became the franchise's all-time leader in home runs. 

The Alonso-Soto, 1-2 punch worked out for both players -- they combined to hit 81 home runs -- and Soto wants to run it back.

“I hope nothing but the best and I’m excited to see where he’s going to end up," Soto told the media, including The Post's Mike Puma. "He’s one of the best power hitters in this generation. I really enjoyed my moment with him in a Mets uniform and I hope we can have more times to come. We can have fun together.”

Marte may not get the headlines of Alonso or even Edwin Diaz, but the veteran outfielder is a free agent after four seasons in Flushing. Although his Mets tenure was marred by injuries, he was an All-Star in his first season with New York (2022) and was a solid player for them in 2025 as a bench hitter. 

In 98 games, Marte slashed .270/.335/.410 with an OPS of .745 to go along with nine home runs and 34 RBI. 

However, Soto cites Marte's leadership and presence in the locker room as big reasons the Mets should try and bring him back. 

“You need a guy that helped you the most through those tough times and tried to bring the team back to where it’s supposed to be,” Soto said of Marte.

Whether or not the Mets have an appetite to sign the 37-year-old is unclear, but having an endorsement from your highest-paid player certainly doesn't hurt.

The Mets are looking to retool their roster ahead of the 2026 season and that could mean moving one of their veteran players.

Jon Heyman of the NY Post reports Thursday that the Mets are "fielding trade inquiries" on Jeff McNeil.

McNeil, who underwent a procedure for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome earlier this offseason, is in the final guaranteed year of his contract. McNeil is reportedly expected to be ready for spring training, so his recent procedure may not deter teams looking to add in the trade market. The utility infielder -- and sometimes outfielder -- is owed $15.75 million in 2026.

This isn't the first time the Mets have been listening to potential trades for McNeil. SNY's Andy Martino reported in late July ahead of the trade deadline that the Mets were listening on several players, including McNeil. 

With an expiring contract and at 33 years old, McNeil has value for a team looking for a versatile veteran. McNeil had a solid 2025 in various roles for the Mets. He played 122 games and slashed .243/.335/.411 with an OPS of .746 -- his highest since his batting title season in 2022. 

But where McNeil flourished for New York was his versatility. He played five different positions this past season, giving manager Carlos Mendoza flexibility to play his younger players while also giving others a break, especially when injuries arose. He manned second base 79 times while playing center field in 34 games in 2025.

However, president of baseball operations David Stearns has already come out and said he expects McNeil to play less center field in the upcoming season.

As for the infield, the Mets are stocked with them. Although Pete Alonso is a free agent, and could still return, the Mets have Brett Baty likely to start at third base with Francisco Lindor playing shortstop. 

That leaves Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuna and Ronny Mauricio fighting for playing time in the infield. And that's not to mention prospects like Jett Williams, who could break through this spring or during the season.

Edwin Diaz’s stance has remained the same. 

Even after opting out of the two remaining guaranteed years in his deal with the Mets to hit free agency, the All-Star closer would like to find his way back to Queens next season. 

With him set to test the open market, though, that doesn’t appear to be a lock. 

Speaking with reporters at the MLB Awards on Thursday, Diaz put the odds of a return at an even 50-50. 

There have already been some talks between his representation and the Mets about a potential new contract, but concrete details haven’t been discussed. 

Diaz says that he is simply looking for the best deal possible for his family. 

"I love New York. I would love to stay in New York, but if I have to go another place, I would be happy," Diaz told reporters, including Newday's Laura Albanese. "I want to win a ring, so wherever I go, I want to win a ring and enjoy the time.

"I like the organization. You know, if they came with the best deal for me, I’d enjoy to stay with them, but at the end of the day, I don’t know what they’re thinking."

The 31-year-old was once again Carlos Mendoza’s most-trusted late-inning arm this season, pitching to a 1.63 ERA and 0.87 WHIP while striking out 98 batters and locking down 28 saves. 

This week at the MLB GM Meetings, David Stearns said that he’d love to have both Diaz and Pete Alonso back rocking orange and blue next season, but it’s too early to predict how things will play out. 

"We love both Pete and Edwin. They've been great representatives of the organization," Stearns said. "We'd love to have them both back. At this stage of the offseason, it’s really tough to predict any outcomes, but certainly, we would love to have both those guys back."

The Mets did extend Diaz the qualifying offer, but he will most certainly decline that before Tuesday's deadline. 

Aaron Judge, once again, was undeniable.

For the third time in the past four years, the Yankee captain is the American League MVP. Judge edged out Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh by securing 17 of 30first-place votes. It was the closest balloting for an MVP award since 2019, when Mike Trout defeated Alex Bregman by the same total voting margin of 355-335. This year’s tight race was a product of Raleigh’s historic season for a backstop and yet another dominant offensive campaign from Judge.

In many MLB seasons, Raleigh would have been a runaway winner. The switch-hitting Mariner clocked 60 home runs, 13 more than the previous record for a catcher. He simultaneously helmed a Seattle pitching staff that waded through a fair share of injuries, guiding the club to its first AL West title in over two decades. Raleigh even found time to win the Home Run Derby. By all measures, it was a special year.

But Judge, in the end, was too much for even Raleigh to overcome.

The 33-year-old outfielder is now the third player in MLB history to win three MVP awards in a four-year span, joining Barry Bonds and 2025 NL MVP Shohei Ohtani.

Judge’s season didn’t feature any sexy round numbers, home run chases or significant career milestones. Sure he flirted with a .400 average into June and captured his first career batting title with a .331 mark. But Judge’s 2025 season — ever so slightly worse than his 2024 season — was brilliant for, above all else, its consistency.

On Opening Day against the Milwaukee Brewers, Judge went 1-for-4 with a double, giving him a .250 average and .750 OPS . The next day, against a Brewers pitching staff so depleted that it unleashed the frenzied Torpedo Bat craze, Judge went 4-for-6 with three homers. From that point forward, his batting average never dropped below .300 and his OPS never dropped below 1.000. At no point did he slump as Judge never went three consecutive games without a hit.

Judge finished the year with a preposterous 1.144 OPS, a figure that led the American League by a whopping 185 points over Blue Jays DH George Springer in second place. Besides Raleigh’s tally of 60 home runs, Judge paced the American League in every significant rate-based statistical category. He was not just the best; he was the best by an overwhelming margin.

[Get more Yankees news: New York team feed]

The OPS gap between Judge and Springer in second place was the same between Springer and Jarren Duran’s .774 OPS all the way down in 33rd in the AL. And for good measure, Judge improved significantly as an outfielder in 2025, according to most advanced defensive metrics. He is running a different race, playing a different game, obliterating the competition at every turn.

And that’s why, despite Raleigh’s unforgettably singular season, Judge is taking home the hardware for the third time in his career.

This third MVP all but secures Judge a place in Cooperstown. All the other three-time winners are either in the Hall of Fame (Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Mike Schmidt), not yet eligible (Shohei Ohtani, Albert Pujols, Mike Trout) or would be first-ballot shoo-ins if not for alleged PED use (Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez).

There is a strong case to be made that Judge is the single greatest right-handed hitter in the sport’s history, or, at the very least, after integration. His 179 OPS+ is the highest career mark for a righty since integration. Only 10 other hitters (Trout, Mark McGwire, Dick Allen, Frank Thomas, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Manny Ramírez, Frank Robinson, Ralph Kiner and DiMaggio) are even above 150.

Put differently, Judge is the type of hitter so unavoidably good that he supersedes seasons like the one Raleigh just put up. It’s yet another data point on Judge’s résumé as one of the best sluggers to ever play the game. There remains a gaping void in his trophy case; that ever-elusive first World Series title. But as this October showed us, one locked-in dynamo cannot carry a franchise alone. Judge dominated this postseason and it made little difference.

Whether or not his autumn moment ever comes is to be determined. It is, for the most part, beyond Judge’s control. He seems to have come to accept that humbling reality. And instead of stressing about his legacy and the understandably high standards of YankeeLand, Judge has directed that focus and intensity into his craft. 

The results are self-evident.

Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies via Getty Images

The spectacular season of Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has arrived at its highly anticipated, hotly debated conclusion, as one last storyline needed finalizing with Thursday’s announcement of the 2025 American League Most Valuable Player award. 

From early summer when the historic home run barrage began until mid-October as the Mariners sojourned deeper into the postseason than they ever had before, raucous chants extolling Raleigh’s case for MVP could be heard at T-Mobile Park with regularity, and even in road cities as traveling Seattle fans showered their franchise anchor with praise for his sensational performance. 

While his top competition for the award, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, delivered yet another outlier season of epic offensive performance, Raleigh’s candidacy was rooted in unprecedented production from a position that so rarely yields such lofty statistical totals. Add in Raleigh’s substantial workload and positive impact on Seattle’s pitching staff as a defender behind the plate — particularly in relation to Judge, who started just 95 games in right field for the Yankees — and Raleigh’s most ardent advocates insisted that his case as AL MVP was as clear as day. 

In the end, those cries for official validation were ultimately left unheard by the BBWAA electorate, with the voting results showing that Raleigh narrowly came up short, finishing runner-up to Judge, who garnered 17 of 30 first-place votes to claim the award for the third time in four years, further strengthening his legacy as one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time. 

Though Raleigh ultimately fell short in securing the league’s annual top honor — an outcome far more reflective of Judge’s greatness than any obvious Raleigh shortcoming — it does not take much if anything away from his campaign, one that saw the switch-hitting catcher set home run records in multiple categories while powering the Mariners to their first AL West title in nearly a quarter-century. 

Raleigh had already earned local legend status as early as 2022, when his pinch-hit walk-off home run clinched Seattle’s first playoff berth in 21 years. He continued to improve once cementing himself as the Mariners’ everyday backstop, showcasing impressive power relative to his positional peers and excelling especially behind the dish, earning Gold Glove honors in 2024. He even garnered some lower-level MVP support along the way, snagging a ninth-place vote in 2023 and five down-ballot votes in 2024. But he had still yet to make an All-Star team entering 2025, and his overall production at the plate was still more good than great, with a 116 wRC+ that ranked 49th among 115 qualified hitters from 2023-2024. 

[Get more Mariners news: Seattle team feed]

While Raleigh had quietly, if indisputably, already become one of the best all-around backstops in baseball, the broader recognition of his impact remained limited. In another timeline, Raleigh could have realistically settled in as a well-kept secret of sorts, an understated star who shined most brightly within the confines of his medium market. But in 2025, Raleigh’s profile exploded beyond the Pacific Northwest, where national stardom has historically been hard to come by. 

It began shortly before Opening Day, when Raleigh and the Mariners agreed to a six-year, $105M extension. It marked a significant long-term partnership between player and team, but it also made headlines beyond Seattle for its magnitude. Very few catchers have landed nine-figure contracts, as the rigorous physical demands of the position often portend troublingly steep declines, and the average offensive output of even the best catchers in the game rarely resemble that of the elite players at other positions. 

Raleigh joined Mauer, Posey, and Will Smith as the only catchers to agree to an extension worth more than $100M guaranteed, an exceptional peer group that in turn helped hint at what Raleigh might mean for the Mariners moving forward. Of course, even with the elevated expectations that came along with the hefty extension, no one could have foreseen the degree to which Raleigh would immediately validate Seattle’s decision to invest heavily in him as a franchise cornerstone. 

It started slowly, with Raleigh going 1-for-12 in the opening four-game series against the Athletics. But Raleigh’s prolific power started to surface not long after, as he launched his first homer of the season on March 31 against Detroit and cracked another a week later in San Francisco. When the Mariners collected their first sweep of the season in mid-April at home against the Rangers, Raleigh homered in all three games. When Raleigh smacked two more homers at Texas on May 2, he found himself all alone atop the league’s home run leaderboard nearly one-fifth of the way through the season. An eight-game stretch without a long ball followed that game at Globe Life Park — the longest such “drought” of Raleigh’s season — but after that, the homers resumed raining down, often coming in bunches. 

He added 14 homers over his next 24 games. A six-homers-in-six-games burst in late June brought his total to 32, rapidly approaching the career-high of 34 he had set the year prior. That hot week also raised his OPS to 1.049, the high watermark for his season, exemplifying his overall offensive impact beyond merely how many balls were leaving the yard. 

As the stats continued to soar, July widened the spotlight on Raleigh even further as he was named the American League’s starting catcher for the All-Star Game and invited to participate in the Home Run Derby. Raleigh won the Derby with an incredibly steady performance that simultaneously showcased his stamina and slugging prowess, hitting 17 homers in Round 1, 19 in Round 2, and 18 in the finals to topple the electric Rays infielder Junior Caminero to claim the crown and fulfill the prophecy set forth in a hilarious home video from his youth: He was, indeed, the Home Run Derby Champ. 

A memorable All-Star week in Atlanta behind him, Raleigh dutifully returned to his regular season mission as Seattle jockeyed for position in the fierce American League playoff race. More opportunities for Raleigh’s newfound stardom to manifest would come — the Mariners traveled to Williamsport, Pa. for the Little League Classic, where Raleigh was one of the biggest celebrities among the next generation of ballplayers and hit his 47th homer of the season in front of the crowd of Little Leaguers — but he remained focused on the task at hand of contributing to Seattle’s push for the postseason.

Naturally, Raleigh’s continued excellence went hand-in-hand with Seattle’s successful chase of Houston in the AL West standings, coming from as far as seven games back on July 10 to eventually becoming division champs. During the Mariners’ momentous September sweep of the Astros at Daikin Park to seize sole possession of first place, Raleigh hit home runs No. 57 and 58, surpassing Ken Griffey Jr.’s previously held single-season franchise record of 56 — this, just days after Raleigh had broken Mickey Mantle’s record for most homers by a switch-hitter in a single season, and weeks after surpassing Salvador Perez’s mark for most homers by a catcher. 

Three days later, Raleigh hit two more homers against the Rockies — his 11th multi-homer game of the season, tying an MLB record held by 1938 Hank Greenberg, 1998 Sammy Sosa, and 2022 Aaron Judge — to arrive at a staggering 60. 

Sixty home runs! To watch any hitter reach this titanic threshold is astonishing on its own, as only six major-leaguers have previously done so: three with heavy ties to performance-enhancing drugs (Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa) and three iconic Yankees (Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Judge). But for that exclusive club featuring five outfielders and a first baseman to gain an unlikely seventh member in Raleigh — who caught 1,072 innings during his march to 60 homers — is downright mind-boggling.

So how did he do it? Look below the surface of the eye-popping final totals, and Raleigh’s humongous uptick in homers can largely be attributed to two key improvements. The first involved something that Raleigh was already quite adept at: hitting the ball in the air, particularly to the pull side. This is a skill that has become increasingly prioritized in the modern game as teams look to optimize hitters’ ability to slug, and elevating the ball often to the pull side is a good way to do that. 

Over the previous three seasons, Raleigh’s 29.8% pull-air percentage ranked third in MLB, behind only Isaac Paredes and Byron Buxton, and just ahead of Max Muncy and Jose Ramirez — all hitters who do an excellent job of translating their power into consistent production. In 2025, Raleigh ratcheted up the pulled fly balls even further, spiking to 38.4%, just a hair below Paredes atop the league leaderboard. Look at overall airborne contact, and Raleigh’s season stands out even further: his 25.1% ground ball rate was the lowest for a qualified hitter since Mike Trout in 2019 (24.3%), when Trout hit a career-high 45 home runs and won AL MVP.

Making even more airborne contact certainly contributed to Raleigh’s record-setting totals. But even more vital to unlocking increased production across the board was how much better he got batting right-handed. Until this year, the switch-hitting Raleigh was markedly more productive when stepping into the box as a left-handed hitter. Across 413 career plate appearances batting righty before this season, Raleigh had hit .202/.271/.410 with 20 home runs. In 2025, Raleigh hit .281/.351/.681 across 205 right-handed plate appearances with 22 home runs. This drastic upgrade is what fueled Raleigh’s evolution into more than just a home run threat, but an all-around offensive force: Raleigh’s 161 wRC+ ranked fourth in MLB among qualified bats. 

The home runs, however, remained the headline, and understandably so. And though Raleigh did not homer again over the final four regular season games to draw closer to Judge’s American League record of 62, he was far from done rounding the bases in 2025. He homered in ALDS Game 3 in Detroit, directly to a Mariners fan wearing a “DUMP 61 HERE,” a nod to Raleigh’s beloved “Big Dumper” moniker and the hope that his home run total would continue to climb in October — the kind of improbable sequence that only added to the lore of his season. Four more homers followed during Seattle’s clash with Toronto in the ALCS, including a crucial game-tying blast as part of the Mariners’ memorable eighth inning in Game 5, and one final long ball in the fifth inning of Game 7, which turned out to be the final run scored by the Mariners in 2025 — a fitting, if unfulfilling conclusion to Seattle’s season. 

With Raleigh and the Mariners having come up painfully short of reaching the World Series for the first time in franchise history, Raleigh winning AL MVP would have been a solid consolation for a fan base that was eager to see their beloved backstop take home the hardware. But regardless of how a small selection of BBWAA voters opted to cast their ballots, Raleigh’s 2025 campaign will undoubtedly sustain for years to come as one of the most astounding displays of all-around performance the game has ever seen. 

Yankees captain Aaron Judge is still chasing that elusive first championship, but he needs to create some space in his trophy room for yet another piece of esteemed hardware.

Judge's latest historic season was formally recognized on Thursday, as he received American League MVP honors for a second straight season and the third time in four years. 

While the decision among BBWAA members wasn't unanimous -- like last season's results -- Judge earned 17 first-place votes to beat out Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (13 first-place votes) and the Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez.

"Aaron has been playing in rarified air for much of his career," Yankees GM Brian Cashman said in a statement. "His devotion to his craft, his continuous pursuit of excellence, and the importance he places on being a teammate who can be counted on help define his legacy just as much as his three MVP Awards.

“He is a once-in-a-generation player who embodies so much of what is good about our game. Aaron is being celebrated again tonight, and rightfully so. He has blossomed into one of sports’ greatest superstars.”

“I know I say this often when meeting with our media throughout the season, but I don’t ever want to become desensitized by the consistency and the enormity of his accomplishments," manager Aaron Boone added. "It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to use words to capture how good he is. He’s just playing at a higher level, and has been for quite some time.

“It has been an absolute privilege to watch Aaron’s ascension. He’s already fashioned a career that matches up with the all-time greats. I see it every single day – and I think it’s critical to acknowledge the work that Aaron puts in to maintain this inconceivable level of excellence as a player.

“While we are in awe of everything he does between the lines, he is beloved in our clubhouse for how he embraces his role as captain, prioritizing the needs and success of the team above himself. I am thrilled to see Aaron acknowledged again in this way. Congratulations AJ!”

In spite of fervent debate on who deserved the award most, the exceptional heights that Judge reached in 2025 were impossible to dismiss. He became the tallest batting champion in baseball history, posting a laudable .331 average in 152 regular-season games. The 33-year-old slugger also led the majors in WAR (9.7) and OPS (1.144), and ranked second in runs (137), total bases (372), extra-base hits (85), and intentional walks (36).

Judge surprisingly didn't finish first in home runs -- Raleigh impressively hit 60, setting a new single-season record for catchers -- but his 53 long balls pushed his career tally to 368, and he became just the third player ever to win the batting title with 50-plus homers (Jimmie Foxx, 1936; Mickey Mantle, 1956). Judge is also the fourth player in history to produce four 50-homer seasons.

While the Yankees were unable to defend the AL pennant, Judge's postseason numbers were exemplary. He naturally carried the lineup, slashing a robust .500/.581/.692 with seven RBI across 26 at-bats (seven games). 

His lone playoff homer also kept the Yankees' season alive. Facing elimination to the Blue Jays in Game 3 of the ALDS, he hit a mammoth game-tying shot off the left-field foul pole that sent the Yankee Stadium crowd into a frenzy.

Judge's knack for clutch hits was once again showcased, as he led MLB in on-base percentage (.513) and OPS (1.154) with runners in scoring position. He reached base multiple times in a career-high 101 games, and three-plus times in a league-best 51 games. Judge didn't slow down at the plate while the MVP conversations intensified, either -- over his final 30 games, he hit a whopping .374 with 13 homers and 21 RBI (99 at-bats).

The signs of Judge authoring a third MVP season were apparent during the spring. He was named AL Player of the Month for March/April and May, and by the middle of July, he made his seventh career All-Star Game appearance. Judge led baseball in OPS by 130 points and slugging by 66 points.

Judge will enter his age-34 season in 2026 with a chance to write another unique chapter in MLB history -- no AL player has ever won three consecutive MVP awards.

The Yankees captain wasn't the only one in pinstripes to receive MVP votes this year.

Cody Bellinger finished 14th in AL MVP voting after receiving one sixth-place vote, one ninth-place vote and one 10th-place vote.

Mets star Juan Soto has finished third in NL MVP voting. 

Soto comes in behind Shohei Ohtani, who took home the award unanimously, and Kyle Schwarber. 

The star outfielder received four second-place votes, 15 third-place, nine fourth-place, and two fifth-place. 

Despite the third-place finish, Soto certainly made a very compelling case to be among the top three in voting. 

The 27-year-old was able to overcome a slow start to put together a tremendous first season in orange and blue. 

He broke his career-high in homers set last season in the Bronx, finishing third in the NL with 43. 

Soto drove in 105 runs and drew a league-high 127 walks to help him finish with a .396 OBP and .921 OPS.

He also added a new dimension to his game, swiping a new career-best 38 bases, which was tied for the NL lead and was just two away from the first 40-40 season in franchise history. 

This is Soto's third time being an MVP finalist and his sixth top-10 finish across eight big-league seasons.

Additionally, Francisco Lindor put together his fourth straight top-10 finish, ending up 10th in voting. 

When it came to Major League Baseball’s history of the most valuable player award, there used to be Barry Bonds — then everyone else.

Over his 22-year career, Bonds won baseball’s highest individual honor a record seven times. Before this year, no one else had more than three.

But, like Bonds, accomplishing things no one else can has become the defining trait of Shohei Ohtani’s rise to superstardom.

And on Thursday, his career was elevated another notch higher, as he was named MVP for the fourth time by unanimous vote from the Baseball Writers Assn. of America to join Bonds in an exclusive club of winners with more than three.

Like his three previous wins, which also came via unanimous vote, Ohtani was a virtual lock. As a hitter alone he led the National League by a wide margin in OPS (1.014) and slugging percentage (.622), was second in on-base percentage (.392) and, despite being outside the top 10 in batting average (.282, ranking 13th), set a career high with 55 home runs, trailing only Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber for the crown. His 7.5 wins above replacement, according to Fangraphs, just outpaced Arizona's Geraldo Perdomo and Philadelphia's Trea Turner for most in the league.

And then there was his pitching.

In perhaps the most impressive aspect of his season, Ohtani returned from a second Tommy John surgery — the kind of procedure only a handful of pitchers have fully rebounded from — and flashed almost every bit of his dominant form despite missing the previous year and a half on the mound.

In 14 starts he had a 2.87 ERA, the second-lowest of his career. And though his gradual buildup process meant he logged only 47 regular-season innings, he managed to strike out 62 batters, pumping 100-mph fastballs, big-bending sweepers and hard-biting splitters en route to playing a key part in the Dodgers’ postseason rotation.

“Because I was rehabbing from TJ and also had surgery on my left shoulder [last offseason], a lot of the focus was to be able to get back to the mound and be able to pitch,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “So I think in that sense, this year the difficulty was more on the pitching side.”

The most impressive moments of Ohtani’s season came in the playoffs, when he helped the Dodgers to a second consecutive World Series title. He hit two home runs in the postseason opener. He authored an all-time performance in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, hitting three home runs while striking out 10 over six scoreless innings to win NLCS MVP. He followed that up by collecting four extra-base hits and reaching safely a postseason-record nine times in the Dodgers’ 18-inning victory in Game 3 of the World Series.

Read more:Dodgers seek another back-end reliever. But will they be willing to do another long-term deal?

Thursday’s MVP award, however, was a recognition of the production Ohtani posted to simply help the Dodgers reach October. It was a reminder of the sustained excellence he has maintained over the last half-decade. And it put him in territory only Bonds had occupied, as he continues to build his case for being the greatest player in history.

“The biggest thing is obviously being able to win the World Series, that’s first and foremost,” Ohtani said. “It’s icing on the cake to get an individual award and be crowned MVP. But I just really want to appreciate the support from all my teammates, everyone around me, my supporting staff.”

Before this season, Ohtani shared some select company as a three-time MVP. Two of his old Angels teammates, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, had done it. So too had Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Jimmie Foxx, Mike Schmidt and Alex Rodriguez.

Only Bonds had surpassed that total. He won three MVPs in a four-year span with the Pittsburgh Pirates early in his career (1990-93), then four straight (2001-04) during the height of his powers with the San Francisco Giants.

Read more:Kyle Tucker? A top closer? Dodgers deciding between wants and ‘needs’ as offseason begins

What Ohtani has done in his last five seasons, in which he has collected all four of his MVPs, rivals those stretches as perhaps the most dominant run MLB has seen.

There was his breakout campaign in 2021, when he proved his two-way capabilities could translate to the majors by amassing 46 home runs and 100 RBIs as a hitter, and a 3.18 ERA with 156 strikeouts as a pitcher. There was his encore in 2023, when he followed up a runner-up finish to Aaron Judge the previous year by posting his best offensive numbers (an MLB-high 44 home runs, MLB-leading 1.066 OPS and first .300 batting average) even in a year cut short by injuries.

Since signing with the Dodgers, Ohtani has kept it going.

Even without pitching last year, he won his third unanimous MVP by achieving MLB’s first 50-homer, 50-steal season while also setting career highs with 130 RBIs and a .310 batting average. That made him the first primary designated hitter to claim the honor, and he joined Frank Robinson as the second player to win MVP in both leagues.

Read more:Dodgers pick up club options on Max Muncy and Alex Vesia; Tony Gonsolin and Justin Dean DFA'd

This year there was once again little drama in the voting, as Ohtani edged fellow finalists Schwarber and Juan Soto of the New York Mets, who finished second and third, respectively.

Given that Ohtani will return to a more normal pitching schedule next year, he almost certainly will enter 2026 as the MVP favorite once more. He will try to match another Bonds mark by winning the award in four consecutive years.

Once upon a time, replicating that feat felt borderline impossible.

For Ohtani, however, history keeps coming with no end in sight.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The players could be locked out after next season. Once-reliable broadcast revenue is being threatened by a shifting media landscape. The proliferation of sports gambling has already ensnared multiple players.

Baseball could have a reckoning in the relatively near future, but it certainly doesn’t feel as if that’s the case, does it?

Why would it?

Baseball has Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani was awarded his fourth most valuable player award on Thursday, but the designation fails to encapsulate his influence on the team that employs him and the league in which he plays.

Read more:Dodgers seek another back-end reliever. But will they be willing to do another long-term deal?

He’s elevated the Dodgers.

He’s elevated Major League Baseball.

He’s elevated the entire sport.

Ohtani is more than the most valuable player of the National League. He’s the most valuable athlete in North America, if not the entire world.

Part of this is personality, part of this is where he’s from, but the foundation of his celebrity is his unprecedented on-field performance.

Ohtani delivers.

He was the NL’s MVP for the second time in as many seasons, this time as a two-way player.

A year after becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season, the 31-year-old Ohtani homered a career-high 55 times as a hitter and registered a 2.87 earned-run average in 47 innings as a pitcher.

Ohtani had comparable seasons with the Angels, with whom he won his first two MVP awards. In retrospect, however, the six years he played in Anaheim almost feel as if they were an apprenticeship to prepare him for what he’s doing now. The Dodgers have provided him with a stage worthy of his singular act.

This is what’s best for any league in any sport, for its signature athlete to be playing games that matter for one of its signature franchises. Baseball is now a regional sport, meaning teams and players are well known in the markets in which they play but not outside of them. Ohtani provides baseball with a national presence, especially now that he’s playing in October.

The numbers reflect that, with the Dodgers’ victory over the Toronto Blue Jays this month attracting a level of viewership from the days when baseball was still king. The World Series was the most watched since 1992, and Game 7 was the most-watched MLB game since 1991.

In a time when the NFL and NBA are desperate to expand their overseas audiences, the World Series averaged nearly 10 million viewers a game in Japan, where games started at 9 a.m.

None of this should be taken for granted.

Ohtani’s five most recent seasons mark one of the most extraordinary periods by any player in any era.

Ohtani has created enough distance between him and his contemporaries to where it’s hard to imagine any other player beating him out for a MVP award, but nothing about this is routine. Only one player has won the prize more times, and who knows how many of his record seven Barry Bonds would have won if he hadn’t turned to performance-enhancing drugs.

Ohtani should enter next season as the overwhelming favorite to win another MVP award, especially now that he will be expected to be pitching without any restrictions for the entire season. Remember, he spent the majority of this season preparing to resume pitching after a second Tommy John procedure.

The Dodgers will attempt to win their third consecutive World Series.

Appreciate the moment. This won’t last forever.

Read more:Kyle Tucker? A top closer? Dodgers deciding between wants and ‘needs’ as offseason begins

A reminder of this reality was offered in recent weeks by an unlikely source: Ohtani’s father.

In an open letter to his son that was published by Sports Nippon, Toru Ohtani raised the possibility of him becoming an outfielder when he can’t pitch anymore.

Ohtani will be 32 next summer.

When it’s over, when his days of dominance are behind him, baseball will return to its previous norms, with concerns about work stoppages and declining cultural relevance, and whether certain star players have the necessary qualities to be the faces of the sport.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Mets are adding three new members to the team’s Hall of Fame.

Carlos Beltran, Bobby Valentine, and Lee Mazzilli will be inducted during a ceremony at Citi Field during the 2026 season.

Beltran, 48, is currently working in New York’s office after making his mark in Queens as one of the best all-around players the team ever had.

From 2005 to 2011, Beltran starred in center field for New York as he made five All-Star teams, won three Gold Glove awards, and was a driving force during the club’s run to the 2006 NLCS.

In seven seasons for the Mets, Beltran slashed .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs, 208 doubles, 559 RBI, 551 runs scored, and 100 stolen bases.

His best season in Flushing came in 2006, when he blasted 41 home runs to tie what was then the single-season club record, had a career-best OPS of .982, and finished fourth in voting for the National League MVP award.

"Carlos’ impact on the organization was and continues to be invaluable," Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a news release. "His unique blend of power, speed and defensive grace made him one of the most dynamic players ever to wear a Mets uniform. He is a respected voice inside the clubhouse, sharing his wisdom as a Special Assistant to David Stearns. We are extremely hopeful that he receives positive news this January when the Baseball Hall of Fame announces its 2026 class."

Valentine, 75, was one of the most colorful managers the Mets ever had.

He went 536-467 during his tenure in New York from 1996 to 2002, helming the Mets’ trip to the NLCS in 1999 and to the World Series in 2000.

Valentine also had a stint as a player for the Mets from 1977 to 1978 and was a coach from 1983 to 1985.

"Bobby served as the charismatic manager of the Mets from 1996 to 2002," said the Cohens. "He ranks third in franchise history with 536 wins and became the first skipper to guide the team to consecutive Postseason appearances, in 1999 and 2000 — a run that culminated in a trip to the World Series in 2000. Known for his innovation, baseball intellect and relentless pursuit of every competitive edge, Bobby V left a lasting mark on the Mets organization."

Mazzilli, a 70-year-old Brooklyn native, was one of the Mets’ most popular players from his rookie campaign in 1976 through 1981 in what was his first stint in Queens. 

He earned an All-Star Game nod in 1979, during a season when he hit .303/.395/.449 and had an .844 OPS.

In August of the 1986 season, the Mets brought Mazzilli back after his stint with the Pirates ended, and he was an important cog for the team down the stretch and in the playoffs. Mazzilli singled to ignite New York’s sixth-inning rally that tied Game 7 of the World Series against the Red Sox.

Mazzilli remained with the Mets until the middle of the 1989 season.

"Lee was drafted by the Mets as an 18-year-old prospect out of Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn," said the Cohens. "He debuted three years later for the 1976 Mets. He quickly became a fan favorite during the late 70s and hit the first home run by a Met during an All-Star Game in 1979. Mazz returned to the Mets in 1986 and became a key contributor off the bench for the World Championship team, delivering clutch hits in the most crucial moments."

After back-to-back winters in which they aggressively pursued the free-agent market, the early signs this offseason suggest the Dodgers could explore a different path.

They have not materialized as the kind of clear-cut frontrunner for top free-agent prize Kyle Tucker, as many around the industry had expected over the summer.

They have downplayed their few areas of potential roster “need,” touting their returning talent and internal depth instead.

While they have staked out a few early targets in free agency — specifically in the bullpen, where back-end relievers Devin Williams and Raisel Iglesias have emerged as two names of interest, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly — they could nonetheless be hesitant to add another longer-term contract to their already aging core.

Read more:Dodgers seek another back-end reliever. But will they be willing to do another long-term deal?

Even with more than $60 million coming off the books from last year’s payroll, their focus “is less about how do we just spend money,” general manager Brandon Gomes said at this week’s annual general managers’ meetings, “and it's much more about who's available in the market, whether that's free agency or otherwise, to make this team as good as possible to try to win a third [World Series] in a row.”

That “otherwise” might be where the Dodgers best line up to make impact moves this winter.

The trade market, given the current state of their roster, could better suit both their near- and long-term goals.

In the short term, the team could use an outfielder. While Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández will occupy two starting spots in that position group, others behind them on the depth chart, like deadline acquisition Alex Call and recently promoted minor-leaguer Ryan Ward, might be used in more of platoon roles. And after watching Michael Conforto struggle in left field last year, finding a more established upgrade would certainly help the Dodgers’ three-peat quest.

That’s why the Dodgers were seen as such a logical fit for Tucker coming into the offseason. After their exorbitant spending the last couple winters, even his potentially $400 million to $500 million price tag didn’t seem out of their range.

The Dodgers, however, already have five players in their 30s signed to contracts that could extend into the 2030s.

They also have a burgeoning crop of outfield prospects — highlighted by Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero and James Tibbs III — who are on track to break into the big leagues by 2027, if not the end of next season.

Those are the kind of circumstances that disincentivize additional lucrative, long-term deals; especially for a Dodgers franchise that remains focused on keeping its championship window open as long as possible.

"I think it's always a balance of, how do you win this year without falling off that cliff [later down the line]?” Gomes said, echoing a common refrain of top executive Andrew Friedman.

This winter, the trade market could be the answer, presenting opportunities to add impact players in the present without incurring the same kind of long-term financial risk and commitment.

There is utilityman Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals, whom the Dodgers were linked to at last year’s trade deadline and would add further versatility to their roster (all while making just over $5 million in salary and coming with two more years of team control).

There is, potentially, Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians, a splashier name who is less likely to move, but is considered one of the best left fielders in the sport (and also projected for a relatively modest $9-million salary with free agency still two years away).

There is a glut of other possibilities around the league, as well — especially for pitching-hungry teams like, for example, the Boston Red Sox, whose overabundance of outfield depth could prompt Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu to be available in exchange for young arms.

The Dodgers and their top-ranked farm system have that in spades. Their crop of young arms could be a key area for them to deal from in any potential offseason trades. It's the kind of valuable trade bait that few other contenders could easily match.

The Dodgers would still be selective, of course, all-too-aware of the fact that preserving pitching depth will be crucial coming off the burdensome toll of consecutive World Series.

Read more:Kyle Tucker? A top closer? Dodgers deciding between wants and ‘needs’ as offseason begins

They won’t be entirely punting on the free-agent market, either.

Bullpen additions remain a priority, whether it be Williams or Iglesias (whom the Dodgers would likely prefer on shorter-term deals), or a pivot to another option depending on how their markets develop (there will be plenty, including past trade targets Pete Fairbanks and Ryan Helsley).

And while Tucker doesn’t seem to fit their plans, there could be other free-agent options to consider. Familiar face Cody Bellinger is the next best outfield bat, and could also slide to first base later in an extended contract (mitigating some of his long-term risks). Harrison Bader is someone who was on the Dodgers’ radar at last year’s deadline, and could be had on a shorter-term deal.

For now, the trade market seems like a place the Dodgers could do their primary shopping this winter; providing a potential middle ground for them to bolster next year’s roster, while preserving some flexibility in the seasons to follow.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Who's won the most MVPs in MLB history? Where Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani now rank originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have gone back-to-back.

The New York Yankees slugger and Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star were named the American League and National League MVPs, respectively, for the second straight year on Thursday.

It’s the third straight season Ohtani has picked up an MVP trophy and his fourth win overall. And all four of his MVPs were awarded in unanimous fashion.

While Judge was also a unanimous MVP winner last year, he faced fierce competition from Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh this time around. Judge earned 17 of 30 first-place votes en route to 355 total points, while Raleigh finished as the runner-up with 13 first-place votes and 335 points.

So, after Judge and Ohtani added to their MVP hauls, where do they now stand on MLB‘s all-time leaderboard? Here’s what to know:

How many MLB players have won multiple MVPs?

Since 1931, when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America started voting for MVP, 30 players have won the award multiple times, according to MLB.com.

How many MVPs has Aaron Judge won?

Judge has pulled into a tie with 10 other all-time greats, including Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, for the third-most MVP awards with three. Judge took home AL MVP honors in 2022, 2024 and 2025.

How many MVPs has Shohei Ohtani won?

Ohtani, meanwhile, stands all alone in second place with four MVP trophies. The two-way sensation won AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2023, before repeating as NL MVP with the Dodgers in 2024 and 2025.

Ohtani is the first player across the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB to ever win an MVP and a championship in each of his first two seasons with a team, according to OptaSTATS.

How many MLB players have won MVP in both leagues?

Ohtani last year joined Frank Robinson as the only players to ever win MVP in each league, and he’s now the first player to win multiple AL and NL MVPs.

Who has won the most MVPs in MLB history?

Ohtani sits three MVP award wins away from matching Barry Bonds‘ all-time record. MLB’s home run king captured the award seven times over his 22-year career, more than any other player in baseball history.

Bonds won MVP twice with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1990 and 1992 before repeating as the winner for the first time in his debut 1993 season with the San Francisco Giants. He then won MVP four straight times with the Giants from 2001-04.

MLB players with the most MVPs

Here’s a full look at every player with multiple MVPs (* = active player):

1.Barry Bonds: 7

2. Shohei Ohtani*: 4

T-3. Yogi Berra: 3

T-3. Roy Campanella: 3

T-3. Joe DiMaggio: 3

T-3. Jimmie Foxx: 3

T-3. Aaron Judge*: 3

T-3. Mickey Mantle: 3

T-3. Stan Musial: 3

T-3. Albert Pujols: 3

T-3. Alex Rodriguez: 3

T-3. Mike Schmidt: 3

T-3. Mike Trout*: 3

T-14. Ernie Banks: 2

T-14. Johnny Bench: 2

T-14. Miguel Cabrera: 2

T-14. Juan Gonzalez: 2

T-14. Hank Greenberg: 2

T-14. Bryce Harper*: 2

T-14. Carl Hubbell: 2

T-14. Roger Maris: 2

T-14. Willie Mays: 2

T-14. Joe Morgan: 2

T-14. Dale Murphy: 2

T-14. Hal Newhouser: 2

T-14. Cal Ripken Jr.: 2

T-14. Frank Robinson: 2

T-14. Frank Thomas: 2

T-14. Ted Williams: 2

T-14. Robin Yount: 2

Editor’s note: The original version of this story was published in November 2024.