Jul 18, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Juan Soto (22) gestures while holding the trophy after winning the 2022 Home Run Derby at Dodgers Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Nationals Juan Soto has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Yet, on Monday night, he came through in a big way in the Home Run Derby.
Soto wasn’t at his best during the first two round of the Derby. Yet, in the finals against Julio Rodriguez, he put on a show. As Soto knows, it’s a classic mistake for young players to put all of their effort into the early rounds, and run out of gas come the Final few minutes of action.
Rodriguez didn’t necessarily do this, but his 17 home runs was deemed beatable for Soto, who hit at least 20 in two-plus minutes, casually lifting balls over the Dodger Stadium fence.
Juan Soto trade rumors: Nationals star performs under pressure
Soto doesn’t love discussing his contract talks. The 23-year-old turned down a $440 million deal earlier in the week, though the AAV wasn’t nearly as much as the overall value of that contract might suggest. Scott Boras had been looking for a Max Scherzer-like valuation for his client.
The Nationals have a complicated ownership conflict, and Soto isn’t comfortable (at the moment) being tied to the organization for 15 years, at least not for under $500 million. Soto’s swing on Monday night was worth a half-billion dollars.
Baseball fans agreed in unison, with some even trolling Washington, who is voluntarily punting on their young star with three years left on his current contract.
For Washington’s sake, hopefully they can get back to the negotiating table with Soto, who would prefer not to be traded at the deadline.