First Pitch: Juan Soto's surprise free-agent destination is actually all too familiar

The Washington Nationals and New York Yankees facing off this week might not be the best matchup ever, but there's one fun storyline to pay attention to -- Juan Soto is back in D.C.

Soto spent parts of five seasons with the Nats, leading them to a World Series win in his second season and developing into one of the best players in the majors during his time with the organization. They wound up trading him to the San Diego Padres at the 2022 deadline for a franchise-altering package, but that wasn't until after the outfielder reportedly rejected a 15-year extension worth $440 million from Washington.

Soto rejecting that kind of life-changing money showed that he was always looking to get to free agency and see what his true market was. From his perspective, he won the bet he made on himself, as he'll likely be looking at a contract worth upwards of $500 million. This might seem crazy to say, but the Nationals should really be the team to give him that contract for several reasons.

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Nationals have emerging young core thanks to the initial Juan Soto trade

It might not look like the 60-73 Nationals are in a great spot since they're looking at their sixth straight losing season since their World Series win back in 2019, but they're a team on the come-up. Not only will they likely finish with the best record that they've had since their World Series win, but they have an emerging core that's worth being excited about, and it's thanks in large part to the Soto deal.

In that deal that sent Soto to San Diego, the Nationals got an absurd haul, allowing them to launch what's looking like a very successful rebuild. These are the players that the Nationals got:

• C.J. Abrams
• James Wood
• MacKenzie Gore
• Robert Hassell III
• Jarlin Susana
• Luke Voit

Voit is the only player from this deal no longer in Washington's organization. Three of the five others are on their MLB roster right now, and the pair who aren't are among their top prospects.

C.J. Abrams might not draw many walks and has question marks defensively, but he has hit 18 home runs, stolen 27 bases, and has a .750 OPS at just 23 years old. He was an All-Star for Washington.

James Wood was recently promoted to the majors and has a 130 OPS+ despite a 56.6 percent ground ball rate and a 29.5 percent pull rate according to Baseball Savant. Once the 6-foot-7 21-year-old phenom learns how to pull the ball in the air, he has legitimate 40+ home run potential. Oh yeah, he ranks in the 81st percentile in sprint speed too. He's a five-tool beast capable of being one of the best players in the majors sometime in the not-too-distant future.

MacKenzie Gore has had his ups and downs in his MLB career, but the talent is obvious. He was a former top prospect for a reason, and has the stuff to be a solid starting pitcher for Washington for years to come.

Jarlin Susana has emerged as one of the best pitching prospects in Washington's farm system, and could easily play a role in the majors sometime late next season or in 2026. While Robert Hassell III has seen his stock fall a bit since the trade, he's had a pretty good season at the Double-A level.

Wood and Abrams have star-to-superstar potential. Gore can be really good. Susana is an emerging prospect. Hassell might play a factor. The Nationals got a haul for Soto which can help them compete for years to come.

Even more help is on the way for the Nationals

The prospects that they got back in the Soto deal isn't close to all Washington has to offer. Players like Luis Garcia Jr. and Keibert Ruiz are important building blocks worth paying attention to in this organization, and there's even more coming.

Dylan Crews just made his MLB debut against Soto's Yankees and has reached base three times in his first eight MLB at-bats. His first MLB hit was a ringing double off the base of the left field wall against reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole -- not too shabby. He was taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and is another prospect with elite potential.

Washington's top prospect in the minors now is Brady House, a first-round pick from 2021 who is knocking on the door in Triple-A. Like Susana, Travis Sykora is another emerging pitching prospect who ranks in the top 100 according to MLB Pipeline. The list goes on and on.

At the MLB level, Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker, and DJ Herz have all shown flashes of being potential reliable starters in their rotation. Jacob Young has emerged as an elite defensive center fielder and can wreak havoc on the base paths as evidenced by his 30 stolen bases. Guys like Andres Chapparo and Jose Tena have looked like they belong at the MLB level too in short stints.

The Nationals have a fascinating core, and a top-10 farm system according to MLB Pipeline. There's so much to be excited about, and that's without Juan Soto.

Nationals should have more than enough money to pay Juan Soto

Obviously, to get Soto aboard, it's going to cost money -- a lot of it. Chances are, if offers are close, he's going to want to remain with the Yankees, and it's hard to blame him. The Nationals might have to outbid them, and potentially others too.

He'll cost a ton, but they've offered him a ton before and should have even more to offer now.

Finally, the Nationals will be getting rid of Patrick Corbin's albatross of a contract after this season as the southpaw hits free agency. Nationals fans thank him for his service back in 2019, but look forward to not having to watch him start every fifth day. That's $25 million off the books right there.

The only player locked in on a long-term deal right now on their active roster is Keibert Ruiz, who is making $6.25 million annually through the 2032 season. The last two years of that deal are club options. He will never make more than $10 million in a single season unless those club options are exercised.

The rest of the players on their active roster are either in pre-arbitration or arbitration. None of the core players listed above are even slated to hit free agency until after the 2027 season, giving the organization three years at least of virtually their entire roster making peanuts relative to what they should.

They've shown a willingness to give Soto an absurd contract in the past. It'll take more than that to get him now, but their projected payroll right now for 2025 according to Cot's Contracts is a little over $60 million. Can they not realistically double that by adding a player like Soto and be more than fine?

Nationals have to worry about NL East rivals signing Juan Soto

The Nationals are a team on the rise, and can really accelerate their rebuild by signing a player like Soto. Winning the Soto sweepstakes would not only help boost their team immensely, but it'd help the Nationals even more by ensuring that he doesn't end up back on a team that can really haunt them.

If he re-signs with the Yankees, that wouldn't be in the end of the world for Washington as they play in the American League. If were to sign with, say the New York Mets or Philadelphia Phillies, that'd make things a whole lot worse.

The Mets are about to shed a tremendous amount of salary themselves this offseason, and happen to have the richest owner in sports behind them. If Steve Cohen wants Juan Soto, he'll be willing to put up a ton of money for him - perhaps an amount Washington can't even realistically match. Let's not forget Francisco Lindor already beginning his recruiting. That'd really stink from Washington's perspective.

A team like the Phillies who already signed Bryce Harper and has a history of being willing to spend an exorbitant amount of money can't be counted out either. Can you imagine Soto on that team? Nationals fans certainly don't want to.

Juan Soto checks all of the boxes for the Nationals

Juan Soto has performed as a National before. He has said numerous times how much he enjoyed playing for the Nationals. He's just 25 years old, on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and would fit in seamlessly with this emerging young core. He'd have a chance to win annually on this Nationals team.

Is it likely that Soto will return to Washington? No, of course not. It's unlikely that the Nationals would seriously entertain giving Soto the contract he'd require, and even if they did, other bigger market teams would presumably outbid them.

With that being said, though, the Nationals should be doing whatever they can to try and make it work. It makes too much sense. They're on the right path right now, and adding a young superstar like Soto to this fun and exciting roster would make them a force for the next half-decade or longer.