Juan Soto's warning to Shohei Ohtani shows Mets already eyeing wrong prize from Dodgers

The Mets desperately want to be known as the East Coast Dodgers. On certain levels, the comparison makes sense. They're the only other team in who have not only a comparable capacity but comparable willingness to spend aggressively. They're in the two biggest markets in sports. They both have their own superstars.

But what the Mets simply don't have are championships. This year, they're celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Miracle Mets' World Series win with a slate of giveaways and special events. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a stark reminder that New York has one of the longest active title droughts in the game. They had the best record in baseball on June 13, 2025, and then they didn't make the postseason.

The Dodgers have won four titles since 1986.

So when Juan Soto — by all accounts, the Mets' answer to Shohei Ohtani — suggested that he's more focused on stealing the MVP title from Ohtani than helping the Mets win a World Series ... he might be focused on the wrong thing.

"I'm going to be there every year, too,” Soto said when asked about being in the MVP conversation in 2026. "So he better keep doing what he's doing, because I'm coming. [...] He's really good. He's really good. 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.

Juan Soto needs to sort out his priorities after setting his sights on Shohei Ohtani's MVP dominance

Soto's a six-time MVP candidate and three-time finalist. In 2025, he placed third behind Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber despite not even earning an All-Star nod. There's no doubt that Soto will remain in the conversation. Everyone knows he's a superstar.

But after rumors about unrest in the Mets clubhouse — rumors that definitely seem to have some merit to them — have had a lot to do with Soto, is it really the best look to be thinking about individual honors when what the Mets clearly need is a cohesive, united front?

It's hard to believe any player when they say that they don't care about winning awards, so we won't pretend that we'd believe it if Ohtani said it. But he would almost certainly say that his first and foremost priority is helping the Dodgers win another championship.

Soto's individuality and flair has always been a welcome novelty in the game, but in this case, it might behoove him to think less about himself.