The Washington Nationals have a rare chance at a do-over this winter.
In 2022, when the Nationals were falling out of contention, they traded young superstar Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres. Two years later, Soto has already been traded again, and is having the best season of his brilliant career on the New York Yankees.
However, the Nationals now appear to have made out like bandits in the original Soto deal, acquiring promising talents C.J. Abrams, Mackenzie Gore, and James Wood. And some are holding out hope that the 2019 World Series champion could opt for a homecoming in free agency.
Bringing Soto back to D.C. isn't impossible. But it's going to take a Herculean effort to outbid the Yankees--and the Nationals' division rival, the New York Mets. That, says one insider, is the main roadblock Washington faces right now.
In a Tuesday feature on Soto's year thus far in the Bronx, ESPN MLB reporter Jorge Castillo dropped a revealing nugget about the Nationals' renewed pursuit of their former superstar.
"The Nationals would love a reunion, according to people with knowledge of the situation, but it would take ownership allocating more money for Soto than they were previously willing to offer," Castillo said.
Three winters ago, before the Nationals eventually gave up on trying to extend Soto and instead began thinking about trading him, it was reported that Washington offered a contract of $440 million over 15 years. That's not going to cut it this time around.
Conservative estimates for Soto's new deal have landed in the $500 million range, and that is likely to be spread out over a shorter time frame than the deal the Nationals once offered. He might get a 10-year deal, or perhaps 12.
If Washington truly believes it is in the running for Soto's services, they should spare no expense in their pursuit of him. But that's the thing about superstars--everyone wants them, but ultimately, they can only choose one team.
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