Juan Soto spent his All-Star Game media session touching on a little bit of everything, and the biggest takeaway for Mets fans was simple: he still believes the season isn’t over.
Soto said the Mets are “not yet eliminated” and added that he and his teammates will “keep grinding.” He also talked about which Mets he thinks could join him on next year’s All-Star roster, what it means to represent the team in this game, and how he’s trying to help A.J.
Ewing and Carson Benge. He reflected on the players he admired growing up, named the player he’s most looking forward to catching up with during the festivities, and offered a message for kids hoping to become All-Stars.
The recognition itself matters, too. Soto being voted an All-Star is another reminder of why this is the place he belongs. He will officially bat second for the NL All-Stars.
Around him, the praise kept coming. Bryce Harper called Soto “one of the best to ever do it.” Cody Bellinger was just as emphatic, saying Soto is the “best bat in the game.”
Justin Verlander also looked back on his time with the Mets.
For the Mets, though, the bigger picture is a grim one. They opened 2026 with an 86.6% chance to make the postseason, according to FanGraphs.
They enter the second half at 0.8%. If you want to squint hard enough, maybe that still leaves a sliver of hope.
Even so, the trade deadline is looming, and the focus is already drifting toward 2027. The second half is going to be about roster construction, and that starts with getting more from the veterans, beginning with Francisco Lindor.
There’s also the uncomfortable reality that the Mets may be wasting another huge offensive season from Soto. Joel Sherman sees a reason for optimism, while Danny Abriano argued that taking Devin Williams out of the closer’s role now makes no sense.
Elsewhere in the National League East, Bryce Harper revealed the one player in baseball history he’d love to play with, and it happens to be someone still active. Harper also said he did not give FanDuel consent for a personalized video he made for a customer who has since accused the sportsbook of exploiting his gambling addiction. Kyle Schwarber, meanwhile, felt the love in Philadelphia even after being walked off in the Home Run Derby.
The Derby itself delivered one of the night’s biggest shocks. Jordan Walker, down to his final swing, hit four straight homers to beat Schwarber and win the event, becoming the first Cardinals player to do it.
It was the kind of night that produced plenty of wild numbers, and there was no shortage of facts and stats to back that up. For anyone who missed it, there was also a full round-by-round breakdown of the competition.
Ahead of today’s All-Star Game, the full starting lineups were revealed. MLB.com’s staff also dug into trade rumors, while All-Stars spoke out against a salary cap and said there is still time to reach a deal.
On the draft front, No. 1 overall pick Roch Cholowsky is set to sign with the White Sox for $10.35 million, topping the previous record of $9.3 million set by Chase Burns and Charlie Condon in 2024. The Yankees agreed to terms with first-round pick Hunter Dietz, and they’re also looking for help at catcher and in the bullpen before the deadline.
The Athletics made a change on the pitching side, dismissing Scott Emerson and naming bullpen coach Dan Hubbs interim pitching coach for the rest of the season.
In Mets draft news from yesterday, Steve Sypa profiled Aidan Keenan, Landon Koenig, Ryan Tayman, and Nate Isler, while Linus examined the top ten Mets draft picks of all time by bWAR.
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Ducks Could Get Pulled Into An Unsettling Rangers Rumor
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What makes the picture more interesting is the price range New York seems able to operate in, which points to a player who can fit in the middle of the lineup rather than a major splash. If the Rangers want to make that kind of move, they may have to clear room with waiver-eligible depth pieces, and that is where the rumor mill starts to widen beyond the obvious targets and into the kind of possibilities that can pull another team into the discussion. [Read more 🡒]