Pete Alonso Agrees to Two-Year, $54 Million Contract with New York Mets

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Pete Alonso won’t be leaving the New York Mets anytime soon.

The 30-year-old half-Spanish American professional baseball player, nicknamed “Polar Bear,” and the New York Mets are in agreement on a two-year, $54 million contract, per ESPN, ending a lengthy free agency with a return engagement to the only team for which he has played.

The deal, which is pending a physical, includes an opt-out after the first season, sources said. Alonso will make $30 million this year.

Alonso, whose 226 home runs since his 2019 debut are second in Major League Baseball (MLB) behind Aaron Judge‘s 232, heads back to Queens to join a lineup that added outfielder Juan Soto on a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract this winter.

Though New York considered pivoting away from Alonso after discussions on a deal with him reached an impasse, talks resumed amid a market that did not value him similarly to the long-term deal he sought at the outset of free agency. First basemen in their 30s who hit and field right-handed are seen by teams as risky — even ones who have consistently produced like Alonso.

After hitting a rookie-record 53 home runs in 2019, Alonso’s consistent run production helped buoy the Mets through lean years and made him a fan favorite and franchise cornerstone. Alonso rejected a seven-year, $158 million contract extension from the Mets in the summer of 2023, hoping to strike riches on the open market, even when saddled by draft-pick compensation after turning down a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Mets.

A long-term deal never materialized, leaving Alonso with limited choices. Though the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays were among the teams that expressed interested in Alonso, coming back to the Mets was always the likeliest possibility, even as owner Steve Cohen publicly expressed frustration with the trajectory of negotiations.

Alonso’s production declined over the past three seasons, with his OPS decreasing from .869 to .821 to .788. His FanGraphs wins above replacement dropped from 3.8 to 2.8 to 2.1, and his 34 home runs in 2024 were a career low for a full season.

Still, Alonso remained capable of special moments. With the Mets facing elimination, trailing 2-0 in the ninth inning of a wild-card series game against Milwaukee in early October last year, Alonso tattooed a changeup from Brewers closer Devin Williams to the opposite field for a three-run home run that held up to send New York to a series against Philadelphia. Alonso homered twice against the Phillies and once more in a six-game NLCS loss to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Alonso’s postseason bona fides — a .278/.429/.574 line in 70 plate appearances — added to his allure for the Mets, who now can lead off star shortstop Francisco Lindor and bat Soto, Alonso and emerging star third baseman Mark Vientos in the 2-3-4 holes. The Mets’ deep roster includes outfielders Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Tyrone Taylor, catcher Francisco Alvarez, second baseman Jeff McNeil, young infielders Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna and Brett Baty, as well as Jesse Winker (who re-signed as a free agent) and Jose Siri (acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay).

Frankie Montas Agrees to Two-Year, $34 Million Deal with New York Mets

Posted on December 2, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Frankie Montas is headed to the Big Apple.

The 31-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher, a right-hander, has agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract with the New York Mets, per ESPN sources.

With Montas’ deal, the Mets add a veteran to a thinned-out rotation in the team’s first free agent signing of what’s bound to be a busy winter.

Montas joins Kodai Senga and David Peterson among Mets starters after Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana reached free agency.

While a reunion with any of the three pitchers who anchored New York’s playoff rotation is not out of the question, the Mets pivoted to Montas, who can opt out of the deal — which is pending a physical — after the first season.

Montas has shown flashes of frontline starter potential, with a splitter, slider and cutter complementing a fastball that sits around 96 mph.

The Cincinnati Reds gave him a one-year, $16 million deal last year despite Montas throwing only 1⅓ innings in 2023 following arthroscopic shoulder surgery. The team eventually traded Montas to the Milwaukee Brewers and he finished the season with a 4.84 ERA over 150⅔ innings, with 148 strikeouts, 66 walks and 24 home runs allowed.

With the free agency of the three pitchers, first baseman Pete Alonso, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, outfielder Harrison Bader and the ending of payments on Justin Verlander‘s and Max Scherzer‘s salaries, the Mets have shaved around $150 million off their payroll from last season.

They remain among the favorites to sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who shares an agent, Scott Boras, with Montas. New York has engaged in conversations about a vast array of free agents beyond Soto, though signing him to a record deal would not preclude the Mets from pursuing other big names.

New York is coming off a surprising run to the National League Championship Series. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Mets, they snuck into the playoffs with a furious late-season run, ousted Milwaukee in the wild-card round, thumped Philadelphia in the division series and pushed the NLCS to six games against the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Starting pitching was a fundamental part of their run. Despite losing Senga, their Opening Day starter, for the majority of the season, the Mets finished with a 3.91 starters’ ERA, getting better-than-expected seasons from Manaea, Severino and Quintana, all of whom were signed to short-term deals similar to Montas’.

Pete Alonso Hits Improbable Home Run to Keep New York Mets in the NLCS Hunt

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Pete Alonso helps his New York Mets stay in the game…

The 29-year-old half-Spanish American professional baseball player, nicknamed “Polar Bear,” hit an improbable home run on Friday to set the tone for the night.

The Mets first baseman hit a first-inning slider from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty at his feet to deep center field, a three-run, 432-foot blast that put the New York offense in gear in an eventual 12-6, season-saving win in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.

The home run wasn’t a pitching mistake as much as it was a hitting marvel.

Alonso made contact on a pitch that was 1.12 feet above the ground, the second-lowest ball hit for a home run in the postseason in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).

“I was just looking for something over the middle of the plate,” Alonso said when asked to explain how he got the barrel of the bat on Flaherty’s pitch. “I didn’t really realize how low the pitch was. I got caught a little out front. … Honestly, it’s inexplainable. It’s the magic of the postseason. And I’m just happy I squared it up.”

The home run sparked an incredible night for the Mets’ offense, one that did not include a strikeout by any New York hitter. It marked the first time a team hasn’t struck out in a postseason game since the Los Angeles Angels in the 2002 World Series against the San Francisco Giants.

“We didn’t strike out?” outfielder Jesse Winker said when informed of the accomplishment. “We didn’t strike out? Wow. I don’t think I’ve been part of a game like that. That’s amazing. We just have to keep doing that.”

The turnaround against Flaherty was striking. He shut out the Mets over seven innings in a Game 1 win but lasted only three innings in Game 5, giving up eight runs, eight hits and four walks.

“We didn’t chase his secondary pitches,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We know he’s got that slider and the knuckle curve and he’s going to try to make us chase, and we didn’t do that today. And when he came in the zone with his fastball, we were ready, and that’s the key.”

After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Flaherty wasn’t feeling his best.

“He wasn’t sharp, clearly,” Roberts said. “He’s been fighting something. He’s been under the weather a little bit. So I don’t know if that bled into the stuff, the velocity.”

Flaherty averaged 91.4 mph on his fastball in Game 5, down from 92.6 in Game 1. His regular-season average was 93.3 mph.

After the loss, the veteran right-hander didn’t address how he felt during the game but offered this explanation for his issues: “I felt like for the first time in a while I let the game speed up on me a little bit and didn’t make the adjustments in-game.”

Roberts could have pulled him earlier, but knowing his team had a cushion in the series, he left him in while the Mets built a big lead.

As much as Flaherty struggled, credit has to go to the Mets, who had 14 hits, including four by Starling Marte and three by Francisco Alvarez.

“When it comes to hitting, at that point you just have to rely on capitalizing on the mistakes that the pitcher makes,” Marte said. “And thankfully that’s what I’ve been able to do in terms of getting the results.”

Though the Dodgers didn’t go quietly, the 43,841 fans at Citi Field saw the Mets respond every time.

The win sends the series back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Sunday.

On paper, the Mets have the starting pitching edge as Sean Manaea will get the ball on five days’ rest; the Dodgers have planned a bullpen game.

“We’ve had our backs against the wall all season,” Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez said. “Why should this be any different?”

Teoscar Hernández Becomes First Dodgers Player to Win MLB’s Home Run Derby

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Teoscar Hernández is a swing-ular sensation…

The 31-year-old Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Bobby Witt Jr. to claim the 2024 Home Run Derby title at Globe Life Field.

When the final swing launched a ball into the night, Witt narrowed his eyes and Hernández held his breath. An otherwise unremarkable Derby was suddenly careening toward a dramatic ending – one that would come down to a matter of feet.

The ball off Witt’s bat ultimately caromed off the base of the centerfield fence, prompting a sigh of disappointment from him and a triumphant thrust of Hernández’s arms into the air.

In the Derby finals, Hernández defeated Witt by the narrowest of margins: 14 home runs to 13, just as he’d survived a swing-off to win by one homer in the semifinals.

Hernández, a widely beloved teammate and consistent power source over the past decade, became the first Los Angeles Dodgers player to win the Derby. He took home a $1 million prize, a medallion that said “DERBY CHAMP” and the pride of standing in against perhaps baseball’s best young star and more than matching him swing for swing.

“It doesn’t matter who I’m going against. I’m going to bet on myself,” said Hernández, who entered the Derby with the sixth-longest odds of the eight-man field. “People maybe underestimate me. You can see it at the end when Witt was hitting all those homers. Everybody was shooting for him. But I’m [as] talented as all those guys over there. They might be younger, but same talent.”

Witt, the Kansas City Royals shortstop who grew up 20 minutes from Globe Life Field, won the High School Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C, six years ago and looked primed to take another Derby title Monday.

In the event’s new format, players could see a maximum of 40 pitches over three minutes, then could hit as many home runs as possible before missing three in a bonus round. In the final, the time was reduced to two minutes and the pitches 27.

Participating in his first Derby, Hernández became the seventh player from the Dominican Republic to win the event. He had gotten hot in the middle of his final round and built a strong advantage on Witt, who struggled to start his round.

By the end, Witt hit 11 home runs and earned an extra out in bonus time by hitting a ball over 425 feet.

“I was nervous,” Hernández said.

The nerves were understandable, particularly on the last swing. With his brother-in-law James Russell — a former Chicago Cubs reliever — throwing to him, Witt hammered a ball toward center field.

Though it’s generally a dead zone for home run contests, Witt struck it well enough to convince many of the 38,578 in attendance that he had tied Hernández.

“I thought I had a chance when I hit it,” Witt said, “but I saw it was just a little bit too high.”

Hernández celebrated with his former teammate and 2023 Derby champion, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was wearing Hernández’s jersey from their days with the Toronto Blue Jays. It’s where Hernández developed into the sort of power threat the Dodgers coveted this winter and signed to a one-year free agent contract to join Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in Los Angeles’ powerful lineup.

Hernández will start in centerfield for the National League on Tuesday and was invited as part of a field that lacked the star power of Derbies in the past decade won by the likes of Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Juan Soto.

Hernández barely advanced to the semifinals, finishing behind Philadelphia third baseman Alec Bohm, Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez and Witt in the first round.

Two-time Derby champion Pete Alonso bowed out, hitting only 12 home runs, as did Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna, Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and hometown favorite Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers, who finished one home run behind Hernandez’s 19.

In the semifinals, Hernández and Bohm tied with 14 home runs over their allotted 40 pitches and bonus time. Hernández benefited from the pinpoint pitching of Dodgers coach Dino Ebel, a veteran of multiple past Home Run Derby contests, in the three-swing winner-takes-all overtime.

Hernández homered on his second and third cuts. Bohm hit one out to left field on the second pitch, but his third swing landed softly in the outfield grass.

“I do this every day,” Ebel said. “That’s my job. I always joke around with the players: My job is to get lit up in batting practice. I just got to know where they like it.”

Awaiting him was Witt, who has long admired Hernández and his abilities as a well-rounded hitter who happens to possess game-changing power, too.

“I knew every time he playing he’s got crazy juice to all parts of field,” Witt said. “So, it was cool to see him do that.”

Plenty of others concurred. On a night without any long home runs — Ozuna hit the farthest at 473 feet — or rounds with big totals, the end kept everyone on edge.

And it set up the potential return of Guerrero next year, provided his friend — the new champion — looks for a repeat.

“If Teoscar does it,” Guerrero told ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, “I’m in.”

Marcell Ozuna to Compete at This Year’s Home Run Derby

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

It’s batter up for Marcell Ozuna.

The 33-year-old Dominican professional baseball player, an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, will be competing in the Home Run Derby.

Ozuna was already heading to Arlington, Texas, as an MLB All-Star.

It’s the third time competing for Ozuna, who last made the team in 2017.

Other confirmed entries in the slugging exhibition include two-time winner Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies‘ Alec Bohm, the Baltimore Orioles‘ Gunnar Henderson and Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr.

More participants will be announced in the coming days.

Ozuna, in the midst of a resurgent season, entered Monday with 23 homers and a National League-leading 72 RBIs.

The Derby will air on July 15 at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN.

Juan Soto Agrees to Record-Setting $31 Million Salary with New York Yankees for 2024 Season

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Soto has 31 million reasons to smile…

The 25-year-old Dominican professional baseball outfielder and the New York Yankees avoided arbitration with a record-setting, $31 million salary for the 2024 season, topping the list of dozens of arbitration-eligible players who agreed on their compensation ahead of Thursday’s 8:00 pm ET cutoff.

Soto’s salary, reached minutes before the deadline for players and teams to submit their desired figures ahead of a potential arbitration hearing, topped the $30 million Shohei Ohtani obtained last offseason.

Soto, like Ohtani last year, is heading into his final season before free agency.

The Yankees acquired Soto from the San Diego Padres in December as part of a seven-player deal that saw them part ways with four young pitchers, placing one of this generation’s greatest hitters in the same lineup with Aaron Judge. Soto, still only 25 years old, has led the majors in walks each of the last three years but has also accumulated 91 home runs during that stretch, during which he slashed .276/.425/.502. His adjusted OPS of 157 is the fifth-highest all time through a player’s age-24 season, trailing only Ty Cobb, Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Asked during his introductory media session about the prospect of signing long-term with the Yankees, Soto, represented by Scott Boras, said: “They know where to call and who to talk to. I’m here just to play baseball. It’s not going to be that hard because I have one of the best agents in the league.”

The second-highest figure belonged to New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, another pending free agent, who will be paid $20.5 million in 2024. Milwaukee Brewers starter Corbin Burnes ($15.637 million), Atlanta Braves starter Max Fried ($15 million), Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres ($14.2 million), Cleveland Guardians starter Shane Bieber ($13.125 million), Brewers shortstop Willy Adames ($12.25 million), Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez ($12.1 million) and outfielder Kyle Tucker ($12 million), Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander ($11.7 million) and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker ($10.9 million) and starter Zac Gallen ($10.011 million) also reached eight figures.

One notable exception was Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who’s two seasons away from free agency and projected for a salary in the neighborhood of $20 million this season. Guerrero was among the 22 players who ultimately exchanged figures with his respective team. Guerrero requested $19.9 million; the Blue Jays countered with $18.05 million. If the two sides ultimately go to a hearing — they’re scheduled for some time in late January or early February — an arbitrator will select one of those two numbers.

Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia, Cincinnati Reds infielder Jonathan India, Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm and the Miami Marlins’ two best hitters, Luis Arraez and Jazz Chisholm, were among the others who did not agree to terms on Thursday. The biggest gap was $1.9 million between Garcia, who filed for $6.9 million, and the Rangers, who countered with $5 million.

Teams and their arbitration-eligible players — those typically with more than three and less than six years of major league service time — can continue to negotiate in the days leading up to their scheduled hearing. But most teams have treated the exchange as a firm deadline in recent years, with some making an exception only for multiyear contracts.

Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo, Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease and Los Angeles Dodgers starter Walker Buehler and his catcher, Will Smith, all agreed to deals in the $8 million range. Tampa Bay Rays starter Shane McClanahan, who attained arbitration status a year early because he was among those closest to three full years of service time by season’s end, agreed to a two-year, $7.2 million contract that also resolved his 2025 salary. Brewers closer Devin Williams also agreed to a one-year, $7.25 million deal with a club option, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

All told, 72 players avoided arbitration on Thursday.

The deadline was originally scheduled for Friday, but MLB and the MLB Players’ Association agreed in early December to move it up a day for the remainder of the collective bargaining agreement, which runs through 2026, so that it does not spill into the weekend. A soft, 1 p.m. ET deadline was imposed for teams to agree to a deal before the exchange of filing numbers, but many deals — including those of Soto, Alonso, Burnes, Torres and several other big names — came in well after that.

Pete Alonso Makes MLB History with Third Career 40-Homer Season

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pete Alonso has entered the Major League Baseball history books…

The 28-year-old half-Spanish American professional baseball player, nicknamed “Polar Bear,” homered twice and drove in four runs, reaching 40 homers and 100 RBIs for the second consecutive season as the New York Mets beat the first-place Seattle Mariners 6-3.

Alonso, a three-time MLB All-Star, hit an RBI single in the first inning before his two-run shot in the third made him the fifth player in major league history with at least three 40-homer seasons in his first five campaigns, joining MLB Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner (four times), Eddie Mathews, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.

“Kind of mind-baffling,” Alonso said. “Impressive names. I had no idea.”

Jeff McNeil also went deep — after finishing a homer shy of the cycle Saturday night — and New York took two of three games from the Mariners to hand them their first series loss since Aug. 11-13 against the Baltimore Orioles.

“It’s been a while,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said.

Seattle, which won a franchise-record 21 games in August, began the day leading the American League West by one game over the Houston Astros.

“We just had a historic month for the organization, and we had maybe a little setback here,” said M’s first baseman Mike Ford, who hit the second of back-to-back homers in the fourth. “But we can get right back on it.”

Alonso’s solo homer in the seventh made him the fourth player in Mets history with at least three 100-RBI seasons. David Wright reached the 100-RBI milestone five times, and Carlos Beltrán and Darryl Strawberry each did it three times.

“Through thick and thin, we know one thing: Pete’s going to walk through that door the same guy every day,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “Pleasure to be around. He never has a bad day. He cares about his teammates, cares about the Mets. And to see guys like him have success, it makes it even more enjoyable.”

Alonso’s 41 home runs are tied for the second most in a season in franchise history with Beltrán and Todd Hundley. Alonso holds the team record with 53 as a rookie in 2019.

“It seems like yesterday I was in my rookie season,” Alonso said. “This is my fifth year, and time flies. It means a lot. This place has been extremely special to me. New York’s treated me so incredibly well.”

Alonso can become a free agent following the 2024 season, and speculation has been heating up about whether the retooling Mets will trade him this winter after dealing away veteran aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander over the summer to restock the farm system.

“Everybody knows that’s part of the game until the contract is done,” New York shortstop Francisco Lindor said.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Wins First Home Run Derby Title

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is officially a home run king…

After a four-year absence, the 24-year-old Dominican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays has claimed his first MLB All-Star Home Run Derby title.

Guerrero defeated Randy Arozarena in the final to claim.

Guerrero and his MLB Hall of Fame father Vladimir Guerrero Sr., who won it 16 years ago, are the first father-son duo to be Home Run Derby champions.

In the process, a prospective three-time winner was eliminated, with Pete Alonso booted in the first round after Julio Rodriguez hit a whopping 41 home runs, the most ever in a single Home Run Derby round. J-Rod, however, was unable to secure the hometown coronation in the Emerald City, losing to Guerrero in the second round.

In all, Guerrero hit 72 homeruns across the three rounds.

Here’s a look at the round performance:

Round 1
No. 5 Randy Arozarena (24 home runs) defeated No. 4 Adolis Garcia (17 home runs)
No. 1 Luis Robert Jr. (28 home runs) defeated No. 8 Adley Rutschman (27 home runs)
No. 3 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (26 home runs) defeated No. 6 Mookie Betts (11 home runs)
No. 2 Julio Rodriguez (41 home runs) defeated No. 7 Pete Alonso (21 home runs)

Round 2
Arozarena (35 home runs) defeated Robert (22 home runs)
Guerrero (21 home runs) defeated Rodriguez (20 home runs)

Final
Guerrero (25 home runs) defeated Arozarena (23 home runs)

Pete Alonso to Vie for Third Title at This Year’s MLB All-Star Home Run Derby

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pete Alonso is gunnin’ for a triple crown…

The 28-year-old part-Spanish American professional baseball player and New York Mets first baseman will participate in the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby on July 10 in Seattle, as he looks to win the title for the third time.

“I’m stoked,” Alonso said after hitting his 25th homer Sunday night in New York’s 8-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants. “It’s a really fun event. The field is extremely talented and I think this is going to be a derby that a lot of people are going to remember for a long time.”

Alonso was selected to his third MLB All-Star team earlier in the day, and New York’s lone representative on the National League squad will take part in the derby for the fourth time.

He joins a field so far that also includes Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez.

Alonso won the competition in 2019 and 2021. Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and Yoenis Céspedes (2013-14) are the only other back-to-back champions in the history of the event, which began in 1985.

The 2020 edition was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his rookie season, Alonso edged Guerrero 23-22 in the final round with just seconds to spare to claim a $1 million prize.

Two years later, Alonso hit 74 homers at Coors Field in Colorado and won the derby by edging Trey Mancini in the finals.

Last year at Dodger Stadium, Alonso topped Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. in the first round before losing 31-23 to Rodríguez in the semifinals.

Alonso is hitting .221 with 25 homers and 58 RBIs in 76 games this season. He missed 10 games with a bruised left wrist but made a speedy return from the injury.

“I thought that the derby wasn’t necessarily the biggest priority when I was coming back from the wrist,” Alonso said. “It was trying to come back and be as productive as I can for my team. If I’m able to play a game, I’m definitely going to be able to take batting practice. So for me the biggest concern was getting back to the team. The derby for me is a happy bonus.”

Juan Soto Wins This Year’s Home Run Derby

Posted on July 19, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Soto is officially a batting champion…

The 23-year-old Dominican professional baseball outfielder won $1 million on Monday with a swing that’s worth much more.

Shaking off trade rumors that threatened to sully his MLB All-Star week, Soto beat a legend and held off a rookie to win the Home Run Derby and the big-money prize that accompanied it in front of a sold-out Dodger Stadium crowd.

After recently turning down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension from the Washington Nationals, Soto arrived in Los Angeles early Monday morning with his future in doubt ahead of the August 2 trade deadline. He emerged unbothered. When asked before the Derby whether he was going to win it, his answer was characteristically Soto: “Probably.” And on that prediction he came through, vanquishing Albert Pujols in the semifinals and Julio Rodriguez in the finals.

“I’m a lone survivor,” Soto said. “I’ve been going through all this stuff, and I’m still here standing up and with my chin up, all the time. And that shows you I can go through anything.”

Anything, in this case, included a day of answering questions he can’t possibly answer, including whether the Nationals will trade him before the August 2 deadline or where he might wind up. Soto instead worried about his powerful left-handed swing, shooting balls to all fields and finishing the finals with 19 home runs to the 18 of his Dominican Republic countryman Rodríguez.

At 23 years, 266 days old, Soto became the second-youngest Derby champion — just a day older than 1993 winner Juan Gonzalez.

Until the finals, the Derby had been the latest episode of the J-Rod Show. Rodriguez, the precocious 21-year-old Seattle Mariners outfielder, ambushed the field Monday night, ousting the two-time defending champion and smashing 81 home runs.

The first hitter of the night, Rodriguez set the tone for his showing with 32 home runs in his first-round matchup against the Texas Rangers‘ Corey Seager. Then came Pete Alonso, the New York Mets slugger who won the last two competitions in 2019 and 2021 but mustered only 23 home runs in the semifinals, well short of Rodriguez’s 31.

Then came his matchup with Soto, against whom, Rodriguez said, he used to play Call of Duty games. Rodriguez was better at COD. Soto, at least on Monday, was superior at HRD.

“What did I show the fans?” Rodriguez said. “Who I am, I guess. They know a little bit now.”

Rodriguez, who is earning the MLB minimum salary of $700,000 this year, received a $500,000 bonus as the runner-up.

Soto was locked in from the beginning, beating Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez in the first round and St. Louis Cardinals great Pujols in the semifinals.

Pujols, 42, is in his final season — and upset Philadelphia‘s Kyle Schwarber, the No. 1 seed, in the first round, beating him in an overtime period. He couldn’t keep up with Soto, whose 482-foot home run in the first round was the longest of the night.

“I wasn’t sure if I should beat him or let him beat me, but just the respect — I respect him a lot,” Soto said. “Even though I beat him at the end of the day, it’s just a competition. He knows how much I’m proud of him and how much talent he brings to all the generations and advice that he gives to us.”

Whatever Soto’s future, wherever he winds up, whether he’s moved before this deadline or after, he said he would walk away from this All-Star week sure of one thing.

“I will be a Home Run Derby champion forever,” he said.

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