Juan Soto sends message to reigning NL MVP ahead of 2026 season — and more

Juan Soto sends message to reigning NL MVP ahead of 2026 season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Shohei Ohtani made history last season, winning his fourth unanimous MVP award after another historic season with 55 home runs and 102 RBIs.

The two-way player has been taking the league by storm since 2018, when he debuted with the Los Angeles Angels before choosing to sign a lucrative ten-year contract worth $700 million in 2023, which arguably changed baseball forever as he has set a career high in home runs and won back-to-back World Series titles with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Not to discredit other great players in the National League, but Ohtani has been miles ahead of anyone in the league, across all leagues, for the last few years, which naturally puts a target on his back to challenge him for the award.

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One of those great players to come out and declare his desire to overtake Ohtani's throne has been World Series champion Juan Soto.

"(Ohtani) better keep doing what he's doing because I'm coming," Soto stated to Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo.

Respect to Soto for letting it be known he is coming for the award, but even though the season hasn't started yet, I don't think anyone is worried that Ohtani will still perform just as well, if not better, this upcoming season. It's really going to come down to someone wanting it more than him.

Outside of the individual accolades, Soto is also hoping to lead the New York Mets back to the postseason after the team underperformed expectations, finishing 83-79 and missing the playoffs as they welcome in solid players like Bo Bichette and Luis Robert Jr to the batting order after losing all-star slugger, Pete Alonso, to the Baltimore Orioles during free agency in November.

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The San Francisco 49ers have been busy already this offseason, making multiple coaching changes to Kyle Shanahan's staff and re-signing offensive lineman Austen Pleasants.

Now, with the start of the new league year a week away, the 49ers still have 10 offensive players who are set to hit a form of free agency.

Before that happens, let's rank all 10 pending offensive free agents and rank them by who San Francisco should want to re-sign.

No. 10 - WR Trent Taylor

Taylor hasn't played a single game for the 49ers since returning to the team in 2024. He'll turn 32 this offseason, and while San Francisco needs wide receivers, there are better options than the former fifth-round pick.

No. 9 - RB Patrick Taylor Jr.

Taylor missed the entire 2025 season with a shoulder injury, and when he did get limited opportunities with the 49ers in 2024, he averaged just 3.4 yards per attempt. San Francisco could do better.

No. 8 - OL Matt Hennessy

Hennessy stepped in for an injured Jake Brendel for two games this season, and he wasn't horrible. The 49ers don't have a backup center at the moment, so bringing back Hennessy is an option, but they may want to consider drafting one.

No. 7 - OL Spencer Burford

Burford was statistically the worst starting left guard in the NFL in pass protection in 2025. San Francisco should be willing to move on this offseason without much regret.

No. 6 - WR Skyy Moore

The 49ers traded for Moore before the start of the 2025 season, and he was a non-factor on offense, catching just five passes for 87 yards. However, he was a Pro Bowl alternate kick returner, so that's why he's higher up on this list.

No. 5 - WR Kendrick Bourne

Bourne missed Week 1 of the 2025 season after the Patriots released him. He signed with the 49ers for Week 2 and went on to play in 16 games, catching 37 passes for 551 yards. He could be a solid depth option for San Francisco in 2026.

No. 4 - RB Brian Robinson Jr.

San Francisco acquired Robinson in a trade prior to the start of the 2025 season. He appeared in 17 games as Christian McCaffrey's backup, rushing for 400 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 4.3 yards per attempt. The 49ers need another capable runner in the backfield behind McCaffrey, and while Jordan James could be that, Robinson has proved it before.

No. 3 - OL Ben Bartch

Bartch missed significant time in 2025 due to injuries, and when he was on the field, he wasn't great. However, he's this high because Burford is a worse option, and Connor Colby is currently slated to be the starter next year. We saw how that went before.

No. 2 - TE Jake Tonges (RFA)

Tonges is the lone restricted free agent on this list, making it more likely that he's back. With George Kittle missing time last season, the 26-year-old proved himself to be a capable receiving threat, catching 34 passes for 293 yards and five touchdowns. They'll need him to do that again in 2026, as Kittle tore his Achilles in the playoffs and will likely miss a good portion of the year.

No. 1 - WR Jauan Jennings

The 49ers and Jennings agreed to a restructured contract last year that allowed Jennings to make a fair amount in incentives in 2025, as he caught a career-high 59 passes for 969 yards and a team-high eight scores. San Francisco needs help at the position, and if they lose Jennings, the situation becomes even more dire.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers offensive free agents ranked by re-sign priority

Ole Miss was solidly in control of its midweek game against Southeast Missouri for six and a half innings, but Will Furniss provided the finishing touch to run rule the Warhawks, 13-3.

Furniss smacked a three run homer in the bottom of the seventh with the Rebels up 10-3 to end the game early. It was his first home run of the year and the shivering crowd absolutely appreciated his big fly to send everyone to the house.

While Ole Miss gave up a run in the first inning, it hung crooked letters in the first two frames to lead 9-2. It was a quick handful of innings afterward with no real offense to speak of until the bottom of the seventh when the Rebels scratched across four more.

Furniss led the team in RBI with four for the game while Tristan Bissetta and Cannon Goldin each added two of their own. Bissetta went 3/4 at the plate and now has 16 RBI through nine games this season. In his first start of the year, Pearl River CC transfer Topher Jones notched his first RBI as a Rebel.

Ole Miss used five pitchers to get through the midweek action, and starter Terry Hayes Jr. did struggle this week a bit more than last week against Jackson St. The sophomore RHP went 1.1 IP with two earned runs, two walks and no strikeouts. After he was pulled, the bullpen went a combined 5.2 IP with one earned run from a combination of Owen Kelly, Marko Sipila, Patrick Collopy and Grayson Gibson. Kelly’s 2.2 scoreless IP could potentially move him up the pecking order for midweek starting duties, which is something to watch.

The Rebels are now 9-0 and are headed to Houston, Tex. for a very competitive weekend against Baylor, Ohio State and Coastal Carolina at the Bruce Bolt College Classic. First pitch for Friday is set for 3:05 p.m. CT and will be streamed on YouTube on the Houston Astros channel.