LOS ANGELES -- If Juan Soto gets traded, the team that acquires him won't just be getting one of the best hitters in baseball. It will get the reigning Home Run Derby champion, too.
Soto, the phenomenal 23-year-old whose All-Star week was upended by questions about his future with the Washington Nationals after he turned down a $440 million contract extension, pounded home runs to all areas of Dodger Stadium and held off star rookie Julio Rodríguez.
Needing 19 home runs to beat his Dominican Republic countryman in the finals, Soto hit 15 during the two minutes of regulation time and finished the job with more than 30 seconds remaining in bonus time.