Mountain Dew Becomes Official Soft Drink of MLB
Mountain Dew's Baja Blast flavor has been named the official soft drink of Major League Baseball. The announcement comes as part of a larger agreement with parent company PepsiCo, which also saw Gatorade renew its long-standing partnership with the league. A new product incentive program from Mountain Dew is planned for the 2026 MLB season.
- This agreement marks a return for PepsiCo's soft drink category, which was previously the league's official partner from 1997 until being replaced by The Coca-Cola Company in 2017. - The selection of the Baja Blast flavor points to a strategy of engaging a younger audience, as Mountain Dew's brand identity is closely tied to youth culture, gaming, and adventure sports. - Baja Blast was originally created in 2004 as an exclusive flavor for Taco Bell to drive fountain drink sales and has since built a significant following through limited-time retail offerings. - The deal complements PepsiCo's long-standing partnership with the league through its Gatorade brand, which has been the official 'sports fuel' of MLB since 1990. - The partnership comes as MLB's total team sponsorship revenue exceeded $2.05 billion in 2025, a 9% year-over-year increase and the second-highest among all North American sports leagues. - Previous beverage sponsors have heavily utilized MLB's digital platforms for activation, including MLB.com, official club websites, and mobile apps for promotions and fan engagement. - Mountain Dew has a track record of driving significant consumer interaction with its promotions; a 2021 "100 Days of Baja" sweepstakes generated over 1.4 million unique code entries from more than 163,000 participants. - The brand celebrated the flavor's 20th anniversary with its first-ever Super Bowl commercial and made the previously limited-edition product a permanent retail fixture, indicating a major marketing investment prior to the MLB deal.
