Has the Opportunity Already Passed for Reunion With Former Nationals Superstar?
The Washington Nationals have an opportunity to bring back the best player in baseball this winter.
As former outfielder Juan Soto enters free agency for the first time in his career, the organization could compete with other big markets to bring his services back to Nationals Park. Soto, who was on the New York Yankees this past season, was asked minutes after their Game 5 loss in the World Series his initial thoughts on a potential landing spot this winter, the 25-year-old stated no team is off the table.
“"I don't know what the teams that are going to come after me. Definitely, I'll be open to this and every single team. I don't have any doors closed. I"'m gonna be available for all 30 teams.”
On Wednesday, The Athletic released a list of all 30 MLB teams sorted into tiers on the likelihood of the organization landing the biggest name in free agency this winter. For the Nationals, they were joined by the San Diego Padres in a category of their own called “Already Had Their Chance.” However, it doesn’t appear that it means they are completely out of being able to bring back the 2019 World Series Champion to the nation’s capital.
“The Nationals had traded Soto to San Diego after he rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension offer, which showed a willingness to make him the highest-paid player in baseball history. One AL executive said he’d place the Nationals among the top tiers of this exercise.”
According to the report, Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, also had a great relationship with the late owner of the Nationals, Ted Lerner, who passed away in 2023. If Washington does indeed try to get into the bidding war, how does his son Mark, who took over the organization, find that same type of rapport?
Soto started his career with the Nationals after signing as an international free agent with the organization in 2015. He made his MLB debut with Washington in May of 2018 and finished as the runner-up for the NL Rookie of the Year that season. He helped the team earn their first World Series championship in franchise history in 2019 after defeating the Houston Astros in seven games. He finished in the top ten three different seasons for the National League MVP while with the ballclub. Across his five seasons with the team, he hit .291/.427/.538 with 119 home runs.
The Nationals' current roster is loaded with young talent in the outfield as they are at a turning point in their rebuild after winning it all in 2019. However, if a reunion for Soto is in the books, Mike Rizzo and the Washington front office could indeed make the right moves to make it a possibility. If Lerner is willing to spend more than the ownership group offered a few years back, we could see him return home to D.C. in 2025.
