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Of all the options the Nationals face with Juan Soto, the least likely is signing him to a contract extension, even one for more money than has ever been guaranteed a player. They know this, which is why they changed his trade status from “untouchable” to “make an offer” with two weeks before the trade deadline.
Not even $440 million—a headline-grabbing sum first reported by The Athletic, but below his market value—can change this bind Washington is in. What makes Soto’s status different from similar ones in recent years involving Mookie Betts, Manny Machado and Giancarlo Stanton is that the Nationals are for sale. Soto, according to those in his camp, cannot sign away the rest of his career to the employ of “a ghost owner.” He believes it is difficult to sell his next 15 seasons (at a discount, no less) when he doesn’t know who the owner will be or the direction of the team.
