Not long ago, the Washington Nationals claimed that there is nothing that could make them trade their superstar outfielder Juan Soto. But according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Nationals are now sending a different message to the rest of the league.
Rosenthal recently reported that the Nationals changed course on Soto and are now willing to listen to offers for their prized star. The thing that triggered this sudden shift was the fact that the 23-year-old player rejected the team’s most recent contract offer.
Reportedly, Washington presented Soto with a 15-year, $440 million deal last week but it was swiftly rejected. This was despite the fact that it would be the largest deal in MLB history in total value and without deferrals, which was standard practice for the team so far. The issue was probably that the value wasn’t there for Soto in terms of average annual salary, which would be the 20th largest in league history.
There is now a feeling among the Nationals’ brass that the deal can’t be made, which is why the franchise is now moving towards trading Soto. They are expected to speed things up, considering that the sooner they trade the player, the more value they can extract.
Soto, who is a two-time All-Star, is batting .250 with 20 homers and 43 RBIs this season. He is under contract with the Nationals through the 2024 MLB season.
