Could Superstar Free Agent Reunite With Washington Nationals in Offseason?
The Washington Nationals did not have the best season in 2024 when only looking at their overall record of 71-91.
While that was only good enough for a fourth-place finish in the loaded NL East division, the Nationals are more than happy with the steps forward their young roster took, including James Wood and Dylan Crews, who made their Major League debuts this year.
This is a franchise in the midst of a rebuild, but they are only a few seasons removed from winning a World Series, the first in franchise history, in 2019 over the Houston Astros.
A big piece of that championship team is gearing up to play in his second career World Series, this time as a member of the New York Yankees, superstar Juan Soto.
Soto, 25, signed with Washington as an international free agent in 2015, quickly rising through the ranks and debuting for the Major League club on May 20, 2018.
Once the postseason is over and the confetti has fallen, win or lose for Soto and the Yankees, the superstar will enter free agency for the first time in his career.
He hits the open market with a .285/.421/.532 slash line under his belt with 201 home runs, 592 RBI, and a 160 OPS+ across 4,088 plate appearances in 936 games.
Again, he is only 25.
It is not very often a player of his caliber enters free agency at all, let alone not yet reaching his prime.
Because of that, Soto is set to claim a hefty contract this offseason.
While it did not seem like a possibility at first, with the steps forward the Nationals took this year and the favorable position their salary currently holds, could a reunion with Soto be possible?
Bennett Lehmann of District on Deck weighed in on the matter, giving Washington a 2% chance of signing the superstar.
"Truly, I would give the Nationals a 2% chance to bring him home," he writes, "and it's safely a non-zero chance."
It would take the organization loosening the purse strings a large amount since Soto is projected to land a 14-year, $513.6 million contract for an AAV of $36.7 million.
The usual heavy hitters are the favorites for the superstar, with the Philadelphia Phillies potentially making a run as they now employ two of Soto's former teammates in Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, as well as his beloved hitting coach Kevin Long.
While the chances for the Nationals signing Soto in free agency are slim, they are more than none.
Until the ink dries on his contract with his next team, nothing can be counted out, especially with Scott Boras as his agent.
