Soto has been one of baseball’s elite since his rookie year in 2018 with the Washington Nationals. After a brief but high-profile stint with the Yankees, fans in the Bronx were convinced that he and Aaron Judge would form a modern-day version of the “Bash Brothers.” However, fate had other plans.

The toughest division in baseball might be the National League East, home to three World Series contenders — the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves — along with young, scrappy Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins teams.