During Monday night’s Home Run Derby, fans noticed how Mets outfielder Starling Marte acted as a major hype man for the eventual 2022 champion, Nationals outfielder Juan Soto.
It even seemed to some fans that Marte paid more attention to Soto than he did his own Mets teammate Pete Alonso, who didn’t advance to the finals.
Many saw Marte’s actions as a way of “recruiting” Soto, who reportedly just turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension with Washington on Saturday. This makes him available for a trade as the Nationals will reportedly listen to offers for the superstar outfielder. It is unclear how seriously the team would consider trading him to an NL East rival like New York.
