Where will Soto end up? It may be the biggest question in this year’s Hot Stove League.
Immediately following the New York Yankees’ crushing World Series defeat by the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5, reporters asked Juan Soto where he intended to play, given his newly declared free agent status. In a rather cold and expressionless response, Soto indicated that he was “open to all teams” and, more indirectly, that he didn’t feel any sense of loyalty or obligation towards the Yankees, the team that he had such an enormous impact with, in terms of helping to lead them to their first World Series appearance since their 2009 championship.
That response could have certainly reflected the sour grapes that might have been permeating throughout the Yankees clubhouse following such a heartbreaking loss. It might also have been the scripted, business-like response that Soto has been waiting to deliver for some time. The outcome of the World Series, win or loss, was likely never a factor in declaring a clear favorite team or city, where Soto would likely sign a mega deal, figuring to break all existing records for a position player.
Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, is known for his slick acumen and prolonged negotiation tactics. The Boras Corporation represents several MLB players, and their allegiances, like Soto’s, often begin when the player is very young. In the case of Soto, his journey began with Boras representing him as an International signing with the Washington Nationals at 17 in 2015. Soto was able to command a 1.5 million dollar signing bonus at that time, which began his fast track to the Majors. He would reach the show just over 2 years later at age 19.
Juan Soto played alongside a cast of Boras represented established superstars such as Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg, and Max Scherzer. Harper would leave through free agency in 2019, leaving Soto as the talk of the town in DC and the new face of a powerhouse Nationals team, one that would make a serious run and ultimately win the 2019 World Series. It is undeniable that Boras feels a proud sense of accomplishment and attachment towards the achievements of this group that went on to win. His clients, in particular, proved to be the impenetrable nucleus that catapulted the Nationals to the top of MLB.
Unfortunately for Nationals fans, this team would not continue its success. The core group was broken with Rendon and Scherzer leaving via free agency and Strasburg experiencing a career-ending injury and illness. Soto remained a superstar without a supporting cast that would make for a contending team. The Nationals ownership group, led by the Lerner family, had established a fine working relationship with Scott Boras. They had, in effect, built a championship from the ground up by scouting, drafting, trading, and signing players that became the best team in baseball. It was a monumental accomplishment for the Boras Corporation. The sentiments that remain in their history with the Lerner family and with Nats GM Mike Rizzo could offer an advantage and head start to negotiations as the offseason meetings fast approach in November and December of this year.
Fans might rightfully infer that Juan Soto is not interested in signing with the Nationals, given that he turned down a $440 million, 15-year contract offered in 2022. Such a contract would have made Soto a Nationals player for the remainder of his career. He was advised not to take this contract, which set in motion the series of trades that helped to, once again, build the foundation for another championship run in Washington. Credit Mark Derosa of MLB Network for initially explaining this puzzling pathway that the first Soto trade out of Washington had effectively created.
On MLB Central with Lauren Shehadi and Robert Flores, Derosa offered a segment that indicated perhaps that Nationals had planned all along to get Soto to return through free agency after he was traded to San Diego for elite Boras’ represented prospects outfielder James Wood and MacKenzie Gore as well as CJ Abrams (not a Boras client). Due to the National’s poor performance in 2022 following this trade, they secured the second pick in the 2023 draft. That pick was used to select LSU star player Dylan Crews, who would fast-track his way to the show by making an impactful debut in September as a late-season callup. Crews is also a Boras Corporation client. Scott Boras spoke of his deep sentimental connection to the Lerner family and the Nationals organization while at Dylan Crews’ Nationals introduction press conference. He became emotional when speaking of the late Ted Lerner, acknowledging how much it meant to him to have
Ted’s wife, Annette, was in attendance when introducing Crews to the Nationals media. The new foundation and nucleus for a winner in Washington were again set in motion through the initial turning down of the large offer, the ensuing trade to San Diego, and its return. The absence of Soto or another impact player in the Nationals batting order meant a losing season in 2022. That, in turn, led to the drafting of Dylan Crews.
The table is set for a Soto return. If there are any emotional attachments in the business of professional sports, then this is one where an organization might use its established relationships to sign a coveted superstar. As DeRosa alluded, Boras, Mike Rizzo, and Nationals’ ownership might have planned this.
Build a winner for Soto to come home to.
