Mets outfielder Starling Marte withdrew from Tuesday night's All-Star Game, but he was still on-hand for Monday night's Home Run Derby.
In fact, Marte was on the field at Dodger Stadium to offer his support and counsel to one of the contestants -- but it wasn't Mets teammate Pete Alonso.
Instead, Marte was in the corner of Nationals slugger Juan Soto, a longtime friend, workout partner, and fellow Dominican superstar.
When Soto emerged victorious in the exhibition, Marte celebrated jovially as if he himself had won.
With rumors swirling about Soto's future amid reports that the Nationals will be entertaining trade offers for the 23-year-old masher, Marte's support of Soto didn't go unnoticed on social media.
Some users saw it as Marte recruiting Soto to Queens, while others joked it was tantamount to "tampering" with a player who is very much under contract with the Nationals until further notice.
Here is a selection of some of the high-engagement tweets, mostly from Mets fans and media, harping on the Marte-Soto relationship.
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