Washington Nationals Insider: Long-Term Deal with James Wood Worth Exploring
![Sep 17, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) follows through on a run scoring fielders choice during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Sep 17, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) follows through on a run scoring fielders choice during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4074,h_2291,x_0,y_35/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/washington_nationals_on_si/01jf5rbf4ssa8za28msz.jpg)
Juan Soto’s long-term contract with the New York Mets is sure to have a ripple effect throughout baseball for years to come. He the game's highest-paid player now, even more than Shohei Ohtani.
Soto set a market that every free agent wants to reach. He also set a market that most general managers wants to avoid.
But it wasn't that long ago the Washington Nationals tried to get Soto into a long-term deal. Just two years ago, general manager Mike Rizzo offered Soto a 15-year contract worth $440 million. Soto turned it down and the Nationals, fearing they would get nothing in return when he tested free agency, traded him to the San Diego Padres.
One of the players they received in return was outfielder James Wood. Washington is high on the young player, who doesn’t even have a year of service time yet.
Given how important Washington sees him to its future, Nationals insider Mark Zuckerman of MASN was asked during a Nats Talk podcast if the team should explore a long-term deal with Wood now, as opposed to waiting.
He said there was no harm in exploring the possibility. Wood also has one thing for him right now — he is not a client of super-agent Scott Boras, who represented Soto and also represents two other young Nationals stars, pitcher MacKenzie Gore and outfielder Dylan Crews.
“I know we’re talking about a player who is just three months into his career, but I don’t think there is any harm in approaching it if you truly believe this guy is going to be the player that everybody has always said he's going to be,” Zuckerman said.
Wood showed promise in 79 games, as he slashed .264/.354/.427/.781 with nine home runs and 41 RBI.
So what is that worth right now? Zuckerman is talking about the types of deals that players like Jackson Chourio and Colt Keith signed recently.
Chourio signed an eight-year, $82 million deal with Milwaukee before he even played an MLB game. The deal contains escalators, bonuses and opt-outs that could make him more. But it also gets him through his arbitration years. The Tigers also did it with Keith, as he signed a six-year, $28 million deal with similar escalators and bonuses.
The idea is to control the player’s cost through arbitration but still give them the chance to explore free agency, albeit a year or two after eligibility.
The Nationals might be better positioned to do this now, Zuckerman said, than they were with Soto.
“I do think part of the equation there was when they tried to get (Soto) to sign that deal, when they offered him $440 million they were halfway through 100 loss season with no farm system,” Zuckerman said. “So if you're Juan Soto even if the money seemed appealing you don't know where the franchise is headed.”
The Nationals appear to be trending up. That may help them if they want to make a similar deal with Wood.