Juan Soto Contract Best Result for Washington Nationals at Winter Meetings
Juan Soto didn't just break the bank when he agreed to that 15-year deal with the New York Mets on Sunday. He may have helped the Washington Nationals in the process.
As the winter meetings convene in full on Monday in Dallas, Soto’s previously unimaginable $765 million deal stands as North American professional sports’ biggest contract. Move over, Shohei Ohtani. There’s a new king of contracts.
Soto is now coming into generational wealth. But, it also does something else. It serves as a release valve on the free-agent market.
For the past two weeks it's been widely understood that the Mets were one of five large-market teams that were pursuing Soto. But many teams were also in a holding pattern, waiting to see how Soto’s deal might set the market. Some had passing interest in him. Others knew his decision would impact the players they pursued.
That’s why the hitting market, to this point, has been tepid. Look at The Athletic’s list of Top 40 free agents. Only three hitters have deals, and only one is in the Top 10 — new San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames.
Soto’s deal makes Adames’ reported $182 million deal seem quaint. Yet, it’s the largest contract the Giants have ever handed out.
But, with Soto off the board, that means the market is going to move. And that means it’s time for the Washington Nationals to act if they truly want a big bat.
That means dealing with super-agent Scott Boras because, of course. Along with representing Soto, he also represents two hitters the Nationals have been connected with in some way — Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman. Now, he can turn his attention to getting their deals done.
No, neither one of them will get deals approaching Soto’s dollar figure. But it is entirely possible that Soto’s contract helps nudge each of their potential contracts up a bit. The Athletic believes that both could get a deal around $200 million. The Soto deal may nudge both of them above that figure.
Is that too rich for Washington? Well, the $440 million it offered Soto two years ago wasn’t too rich for them then. It’s incredible, by the way, that Soto betting on himself just two years ago meant $300 million more.
If it is too rich, then the time to act on a player like Christian Walker, who is a little bit older and will cost far less might be this week.
Soto could have kept thinking on a deal and held the market. But he did the Nationals a favor my making his decision on Sunday. Now, the Nats can go into the market and make their move.
