Washington Nationals Rank High Among Possible Juan Soto Suitors
The MLB offseason is underway and the sweepstakes have begun when it comes to superstar free agent outfielder Juan Soto. Among the list of teams that have been connected as possible landing spots for Soto are the Washington Nationals.
While the Nationals would love to figure out how to get a reunion done with Soto, there are a lot of teams with interest in signing him.
Of course, there are two clear-cut favorites to land Soto this offseason. Both the New York Yankees and New York Mets are expected to have the best chances to sign the 26-year-old outfielder.
When it comes to Washington, they're being viewed as a possible contender, but a second-tier team in the Soto chase.
Jake Mintz of Yahoo! Sports took a look at the teams that could end up signing Soto. He included the Nationals among the top 10 potential suitors. That leaves the door open for hope.
"This would be a homecoming for the ages. Soto still has an affinity for the team that first signed him and maintains a close relationship with Nats skipper Davey Martinez. Washington’s payroll right now is below $100 million, and they have an interesting core of young players who could benefit from hitting around Soto. But it all seems too good to be true, and if Soto wants to win immediately, D.C. might not be the place to do it."
Obviously, the last part of his take about Soto potentially signing with Washington is the biggest question.
Would Soto consider signing with a team that he can't win a championship right off the bat with? He is fresh off of a World Series loss with the Yankees and that likely leaves him wanting to compete now.
However, if he would be willing to be patient, the Nationals could be a perfect fit. It might take another year, but they could make moves around him that would help the team become a serious threat in the National League.
As everyone knows, Soto very much enjoyed his time in Washington the first time around. That does give the franchise a chance to make a pitch. It seems unlikely that they'll end up landing him, but they simply cannot be counted out.
All of that being said, the Soto sweepstakes are just getting started. The Nationals certainly aren't a "favorite" to end up signing him, but they're absolutely a contender.
At the end of the day, simply being in the conversation is reason for Washington to be excited.
