The time has finally come. Since the MLB regular season concluded and the Washington Nationals signed off on their season with a close loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, us Nats fans have been looking forward to what should be a great MLB offseason. As for the prize of the offseason? Well, unless you've been living under a rock, it should be obvious that Juan Soto is undoubtedly going to be the most coveted asset for all 30 teams to potentially acquire in free agency.
I have already written a piece about the chances that Soto actually comes back to the Nationals, but what did his postgame presser comments say about his future with the New York Yankees and his next team? Let's take a look.
In his first comments since losing the World Series, Soto was immediately asked about his free agency, to which he said, "I don't know what's 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." which would obviously include the Washington Nationals.
Soto explained it himself, but to me this sounds like Soto, who is a client of Scott Boras, will likely give his services to the highest bidder, which doesn't really do the Nationals any favors. He is going to get an absurd amount of money this offseason, and I'm not really sure what other factors could feed into his decision. According to Jon Heyman, as of yesterday, 11 teams had already been in touch with Soto's camp, as teams gear up to prepare to make him a very rich man and perfect their best sales pitch to him. Whether or not the Nationals were one of them remains to be seen, but we already know that a couple of the favorites to sign Soto have already reached out, including the New York Mets.
Mets are entering the Soto derby, as expected. Can make a solid case for crosstown move: improving team, deep pockets, great clubhouse @NYPost_Mets https://t.co/6FySQFiPji
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 1, 2024
I predicted in my piece about his free agency that the Mets would be one of the most likely landing spots due to Soto's desire to go to the highest bidder, and that Mets owner Steve Cohen is willing to spend any amount to secure top free agents and build up his ball club. Securing Soto would have Mets fans ready to build Cohen a statue outside of Citi Field, and you'd have to guess that a couple of the other favorites like the Yankees, Dodgers, and maybe even the Phillies were in that initial group of teams to reach out to his camp.
Another point that I mentioned could be a factor in Soto's free agency decision is the fact that his younger brother, Elian, is now a member of the Nationals' organization as an international free agent signing, but I seriously doubt that it will play a role in Juan's decision. The bottom line is that Soto is going to take the largest offer, and whether or not the Nationals are the ones to offer it remains to be seen. If I had to guess, he goes to either the Mets or Yankees, and signs for $600M or more. Hopefully the Nationals at least make a competitive offer, or you can definitely bet that the fanbase would not be pleased in the slightest that ownership chose not to make an offer to their former face of the franchise.
Who do you think will win the Juan Soto sweepstakes? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.